Kissed by the Baddest Bidder Recreated - Book 2 - Sakiko and Soryu
by Cassakane
Summary: Sakiko has had a crush on Soryu Oh since the first time she saw him. So when he invites her to join Ichinomiya's underground organization, she jumps at the chance. It will give her the security that she craves and a chance to get closer to Soryu. As it turns out, she ends up getting a lot more than she bargained for.
1. An Offer

'_I haven't done anything wrong. These bastards had better not be trying to pin something on me_,' I thought as I dropped my businesslike mask for a moment to scowl at the casino director's door. I couldn't think of a single reason why I would be called to this man's office. Any issues with a lowly croupier like me could be dealt with by a floor manager or a shift manager. If they were going to accuse me of some shit and fire me, it didn't take the director to do it.  
After knocking and being called into the office, things got even more suspicious - Soryu Oh was standing with the director. If the director had no cause to talk to me, Mr. Oh didn't have a reason in hell. He was friends or business partners or _something_ with Eisuke Ichinomiya, the CEO of the company that owned Tres Spades Hotel and Casino. I was so far away from him in the pecking order that he shouldn't have even known that I existed. I was a faceless employee in a white dress shirt and blue vest.  
_He_ was drop dead fuckable, as usual. His gray suit fit his tall body to perfection and his black hair was slicked back away from his face. His dark eyes evaluated me as we were introduced and he shook my hand. While Mr. Ichinomiya had a cold confidence, obviously assuming that the world would remake itself around him to suit his needs, Mr. Oh's confidence was hot and commanding. He wore a perpetual frown and his muscled body seemed to be always at the ready for violence. If the world would change to suit Mr. Ichinomiya, Mr. Oh was constantly prepared to forcefully change the world to suit himself.  
A little shiver went through me as our hands touched, and I quickly smacked down the feelings of arousal that were automatically building in me just from being near him. He was one of my favorite guys to fantasize about when I got myself off. My body had basically been programmed to turn on whenever he was near. On the nights that he came into the casino, I'd secretly watch him and let desire build up in me before spending my break locked in a bathroom stall playing with my clit. My mind had been fucking this man in every conceivable way for over a year. Now that we were standing closer than ever before, without a gambling table between us, without work and a crowd of people to distract me, my body was crying betrayal because my mind was forcing a professional calm.  
And then the director stepped out of the office and left us alone. My body said, '_fuck yes!_' and my mind said, '_what the fuck?_' Mr. Oh said, "Let's have a seat over here, Sakiko."  
I sat across from him at a table that the director must use for small meetings. Mr. Oh slipped a sheet of paper out of a folder that was sitting on the table. "Before we talk, you'll need to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Do you know what that is?" he asked.  
"Yeah. It means if I tell anyone what we talk about you can sue me for everything that I have and more," I replied. What the fuck did he want to talk to me about that would need to be kept a secret? Had something gone down in the casino that I wasn't aware of? There'd been a rumor that someone was pilfering chips. Did he want to talk to me about that? He'd better not be planning to _accuse_ me of stealing. I felt my body tense up as I prepared to defend myself.  
He'd spun the contract around to face me and was pointing to each paragraph with a pen, briefly explaining their meaning. As soon as he was finished, I took the pen from his hand and signed my name.  
His eyes searched mine, one eyebrow lowering as he tried to figure me out. "You don't need to think this through?" he asked.  
"I don't have a problem keeping my mouth shut," I said with a shrug, pushing the paper over to him. He slipped it back into the folder.  
"I understand that you're something of a master when it comes to dealing cards. Your file even says that you're the best management has ever seen. They kept you at the roulette table for over a year just to make sure you could be trusted with cards in your hands," he said, his eyes watching me for my reaction.  
Too bad I could hold a poker face indefinitely. I wasn't giving anything up to him that I didn't want him to see. "I wondered why they kept me on roulette for so long. I'd thought it was a sexism thing," I said.  
Mr. Oh responded by setting a new package of cards on the table and sliding it towards me. "Show me what you can do."  
I broke the seal on the package and tapped the cards out into my palm. The shape and weight of them was so familiar that they instantly sent a wave of relaxation through me. If all Mr. Oh wanted was for me to show him my skills, there was nothing to worry about. I started by fanning the cards out facedown on the table and quickly scanned the motif on the back.  
"These are marked," I said, as I deftly flipped the cards upright and folded them back into a neat stack. "You know that right?"  
When he nodded, I began working through a series of trick shuffles and said, "This marking is for shit. If you want marked cards come to me. I can juice-mark and teach you to read juice."  
"That won't be necessary," he said. "I'm here to talk to you about something else and this is the information that must never leave this room. Eisuke Ichinomiya, independent of The Ichinomiya Group, has a small underground organization. We would like to offer you a position in it."  
I brought the deck of cards back together with a final _snick_ and sat them in front of me on the table. I should be appalled and indignant. I should be shocked and arguing that I was an upright citizen who would never join a group of criminals. Instead I felt as if a fairy godmother had popped into existence and granted one of my wishes. I was being given the opportunity to step onto the other side. The side of power and control.  
My father was a gambler. A sell the wife's wedding ring, disappear for weeks or months, loan sharks are at the door looking for Daddy type of gambler. It goes without saying that I had a fucked up childhood. Most people in that situation would have grown up to either be a gambler or to avoid gambling altogether, but I had gone a different route. I'd become a dealer. I sat on the other side of the table. I held the cards, I dealt the cards, and I laid down fate for gamblers, but I never played the game. I ruled the game.  
Joining a yakuza would mean that I would never have to worry about scary bald men with tattoos hammering on my door in the middle of the night. I would be on the same side as the scary men.  
I studied Mr. Oh. I'd always noticed his strength, his self-control and the way that his eyes never seemed to stop taking in the room around him. He had a confidence that most men did not have. Even the celebrities that often came to the casino. Their confidence was based on praise and attention, it had to be constantly fed in order to survive. Mr. Oh's confidence came from the inside, from knowing that he could handle anything and everything that was thrown at him.  
It was the kind of confidence that I wanted.

"Tell me more," I said, looking him in the eye.  
"We need an an agent in the casino," he explained. "You would mostly just be watching people for us and collecting information. At times you might control the outcome of a game. In fact, we'll need that done in a few days. I'm assuming you can do it?"  
"As long as I'm not going to get in trouble for it, it's no problem," I replied.  
"We would move you to a blackjack table immediately. Since it's a more popular table, you'll be of more use to us there. Although you should be ready to go wherever we need you at a moment's notice," he said. "We'll raise your pay and we'll give you bonuses for completing assignments. You may be promoted at a faster rate than normal, or you may be passed over for promotions because we need you at the tables. If that happens, you'll be compensated with raises."  
"That makes sense," I said with a nod.  
"There _is_ danger involved. It isn't something that we expect to see in the casino, but nowhere is really safe. You're aware of the shooter that got into the penthouse recently? And that Olivia Graham was kidnapped?" he asked.  
"Yeah, of course," I answered.  
"By joining Ichinomiya's group, you would come under his protection. He takes very good care of his people. However, there is no way to guarantee your safety. I want you to be very aware that there is risk involved," he said grimly.  
People had been shot when the shooter got into the penthouse and a security guard had been killed. What if that happened in the casino? Whether I was part of Ichinomiya's yakuza or not, I'd still be there, potentially in the line of fire. It made more sense to be protected, to have more information and know what was really going on rather than to stand oblivious, shuffling cards while secret deals went on all around me. As far as I could see, I would be safer in than out.  
"I'll do it," I said. His eyes searched mine but I maintained my poker face.  
"You don't want to take some time to think about it?" he asked, a few drops of concern in his voice. When I shook my head, he continued, "Olivia is going to be very happy about this. She needs a friend, someone to talk to who's in the organization and knows what's going on. She needs a _female_ friend."  
I'd entered the office worried that I was going to be fired from my job. Mr. Oh and I had been talking about criminals and danger and people being shot, but for the first time real fear slid down my spine and settled in my stomach.  
I avoided deep connections with people like the plague. Sure, Olivia was my friend. I'd known her for almost half a year. I wore my friendship mask around her - laughing and joking, showing her the silly side of me, but never the darkness. I didn't talk about what was really inside of me and if Olivia had ever tried to talk to me about serious things I would have backed off, dodged the bullets and if that didn't work, I would have dropped our friendship altogether. Now I had inadvertently signed up to be her confidant.  
'_Nothing comes without a price,'_ I reminded myself as Mr. Oh suggested that we go up to the penthouse immediately so that we could tell Olivia the good news. As I followed him out of the room, I told my feet not to run and my heart not to panic. I'd deal with being Olivia's friend. I'd figure it out and manage it just like everything else. Being part of a yakuza, being on the side of power, was worth it.

"_Sakiko!_" Olivia yelled as Mr. Oh and I stepped into the penthouse. She ran over and wrapped me in a big hug. "You said yes!"  
While Olivia bounced excitedly, a big orange kitten ran up to Mr. Oh and greeted him with several loud meows. To my surprise, he bent down and picked the kitten up. It was strange to see him standing as stiff and unemotional as he normally did while the cat rubbed its head against his neck and cheek. An image of myself licking and nuzzling his neck popped into my mind and I quickly tucked it into a back corner for later use.  
"Your cat's too loud."  
I looked over to see Mr. Ichinomiya walking towards us. I'd crossed him off my list of masturbation material when he'd started dating Olivia, but I couldn't help but notice how sexy he looked in jeans and a black t-shirt. I usually only saw him in a three piece suit.  
Olivia ignored the comment about the cat and smiled at Mr. Ichinomiya. "Eisuke, this is my friend Sakiko. She's joined your underground thing, so she gets to come and visit me anytime she wants. Sakiko, this is Eisuke."  
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ichinomiya," I said and bowed.  
While Olivia said, "No, no! We're friends, call him Eisuke when you aren't at work." Mr. Ichinomiya's eyes focused in on me. I'd noticed his eyes before, the way that he seemed to read other people when he was in the casino, but this was the first time that he'd really looked at me. It almost felt like his eyes were swords that were trying to pierce my poker face. In self defense, I broke eye contact and looked at Olivia instead.  
"And call Soryu, Soryu," she was saying. I glanced over at Mr. Oh and he gave me a quick nod to confirm Olivia's directive. She fluttered her hand to the side of the room where a tall man was slumped in a chair. "I'll introduce you to Mamoru sometime when he's awake. Now let's go talk."  
She took the cat from Soryu and lead me down a hallway to a room that could only be the personal salon that Mr. Ichinomiya - or _Eisuke_ \- had ordered to be built for her when they moved in together. She'd told me about it on the same day that she'd been kidnapped.  
"Wow," I said. "This is amazing. Look at all these clothes."  
"I'm going to give you some," she said. "I already decided. I've been dying for Soryu to talk to you and praying that you would say yes so that we could be real friends again."  
"You don't have to give me anything," I said, feeling my stomach twist. If she gave me clothes, she'd feel like I owed her favors. "I'm here to talk and hang out, not get stuff."  
"I'm definitely giving you some things," she said, as kind and guileless as usual. "Eisuke wants me to wear these super short dresses all the time, so I have a ton that don't meet his requirements."  
"Yeah, you never used to wear clothes like that," I said, trying not to stare at the short dress that she was wearing. She was showing off _a lot_ of leg.  
"I'm pretty much used to it now," she said with a shrug and then looked at me seriously. "I'm taking a bunch of classes now. Did you hear that I got kidnapped by Takahiro? I'm doing self-defense, karate and shooting classes. I want you to go with me so that we can both learn to kick some ass. Will you?"  
Part of me balked immediately. She hadn't even handed over the clothes yet and she was already asking for favors, but I forced myself to think about things logically. It made a lot of sense for me to take those classes. Especially since I was now going to be in a yakuza. "I definitely want to learn to kick ass," I said.  
"Great. Start coming with me tomorrow morning, then," she said and looked at me for a moment. "You seem different. Are you upset about something?"  
I realized that I'd forgotten to put my cheerful friend mask on. "It's just been a shock, you know? Learning about Mr. Ichinomiya's underground organization and being invited to join it. I never would have expected anything like this," I said.  
"I totally understand," she said. "Come sit with me on the couch. I totally want to tell you about everything that's been happening since the night I met Eisuke. You aren't even going to believe it."  
I walked over to the couch slowly and took a seat in the '_girl gossip_' pose - legs crossed, sitting turned to the side to face Olivia, concerned look on my face. She was going to tell me _everything?_ I felt as if I were standing in front of a firing squad.

Over two hours later the elevator doors closed between me and Olivia. She was smiling happily, even though it was plain to see that she'd recently been crying. The story that she'd told me had been shocking and horrific and with every new trauma she revealed I'd felt as if a grappling hook were embedding itself into me.  
I was fucked up and I knew it. I couldn't even tolerate a real friend in my life. I could nod and say the right things and make the right noises of sympathy, but inside I just wanted to run. After the long conversation, I was filled with a nervous energy that had me jumping up and down in the elevator and shaking my free hand to try to get a little of it out. I felt like I was going to explode. I needed to get out. Out of the elevator and out of the hotel. I needed to find someone to fuck.

(_Eight Years Earlier)_

"_Sakiko_?"  
I'd just let myself into the apartment and the sound of my mom's voice caused anger and pain to twist in my stomach. '_Not today,'_ I thought. '_I do not want to deal with this today_.'  
I'd just had an argument with my boyfriend, Natsu. He'd called me crazy and said that I was like a robot because I didn't have any real feelings inside. What the fuck did he know? I had plenty of real feelings, but I wasn't going to share them with anyone. Getting close to people was not my thing. If you let people get close to you, they would just suck you dry. Just like my mom.  
"Sakiko? Is that you?" she called from her bedroom. Her voice was full of pain and despair.  
"Yeah, Mom," I answered, dropping my backpack on the floor and heading towards her room. For just a moment I felt like crying. For just a moment it was all too much, but I gave myself a shake and put a smile on my face. Misery loves company. If I went in there moping, she would latch onto me for hours.  
When I opened the door she was lying curled up on her futon, the only light was the bit of evening sun that shone between the apartment buildings and oozed through the window. I knelt down on the floor next to her, saying, "What's up, Mom?" in a cheerful voice like she might tell me that she'd gotten a promotion or was going to bake me some cookies.  
"My back's been killing me all day," she moaned. "Work was terrible. Kazuko kept making little comments about me moving too slow. She _knows_ I have a bad back. Why can't she just be a little understanding? I'm worried that she's going to complain. If she does, they'll probably fire me."  
"Why don't I rub your back and get the hot water bottle?" I suggested with a smile. "Then your back will feel better tomorrow and everything will be okay."  
"Okay," she said, reaching out and taking my hand. "But just sit awhile first. I've been so lonely since I got home. Maybe you can make dinner, too?"  
"Yeah, of course," I said, thinking about all of the homework I had to do. "I'll make something. Do we still have some of that saury?"  
Before she could answer, the sound of the front door opening sliced through the air. We both sprang to our feet. Despite her complaints of back pain, Mom moved just as quickly as I did.  
"_Hoshi!_" my dad's voice was so loud it almost made the walls vibrate.  
"In here," my mom called as I opened the door and ran out of the room. I swerved to the left, giving my father plenty of room as I passed by him. He didn't so much as glance at me as he made for the bedroom door. I snatched up my backpack and ran towards my own bedroom, my hand digging in the front pocket for my MP3 player.  
I stopped in my tracks as I pulled the small device out and remembered that its battery needed charging. I wouldn't be able to stuff earbuds in my ears and listen to music to drown out the sounds of my parents arguing or having sex or my dad beating my mom or some combination of the three. I took a few moments to connect my MP3 player to its charging cable so that it would be ready for me when I got home later and then bolted out of the apartment.  
As I ran down the hallway to the stairwell, a giddy panic began to rise up in me. This is why Natsu had called me crazy, because I got silly and giggly when things got too intense. Because I hid from the worry and the pain and the fear by laughing and acting wild. I'd done it since I was a little girl.  
I'd like to see him deal with the shit that I had to put up with and not act crazy. It wasn't easy and it was my choice how I wanted to cope with my own feelings. At least I wasn't depressed or suicidal.

As my sneakers hit the first floor lobby, I realized that I had nowhere to go. I didn't have any money and I needed to _do something_ immediately to release the nervous energy that was threatening to overwhelm me. I turned around and ran back upstairs, only this time I stopped at the second floor and went to Natsu's apartment.  
"What?" he said when he opened the door and saw me standing there.  
"Are we broken up?" I asked, trying not to fidget and give away just how jittery I was feeling. "Is your mom at work?"  
"I don't know if we're broken up and yes my mom is at work," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Are you manic again?"  
"I'm not Bipolar," I said. "If we're not broken up, then let's make out."  
He hesitated for just a second before standing aside to let me into his apartment. I dropped my backpack on the floor and flopped onto the couch. "Just so you know, I'm not doing this so you won't break up with me. I just feel like making out," I said.  
He sat down on the couch and started kissing me. I opened up to him immediately, letting his tongue come into my mouth and pushing my body against his. I wanted to be overwhelmed with desire, I wanted his kisses and touches to make me forget everything that could be happening upstairs in my own apartment. I'd always maintained strict control when we'd fooled around before, setting hard limits and not letting him past them. Now, I didn't think about rules or limits at all, I focused on the hot, achy feelings that were filling my body and pushing everything else away.  
"Damn, Girl," he said, when I let him unhook my bra and touch my bare breasts for the first time. "This is fucking hot."  
I moaned in agreement. This was better than anything else, better than listening to music, better than playing video games. This wasn't a thin distraction that drowned out sounds and feelings with loud noise. It was a full body tempest that made everything else disappear except for me and Natsu. When his fingers slid up under my uniform skirt and rubbed over my panties, I didn't pull away or protest. I pushed myself into him and begged for more.

I escaped the elevator and hurried to my room in the employee dorm to change out of my uniform and drop off the big bag of clothes that Olivia had insisted that I take. When I opened the front door to the apartment that I shared with three other employees, my roommate Kyou was standing at the stove. As usual she was wearing impossibly short shorts and a tiny t-shirt. If the rules for employee behavior weren't so strict, I'd have seduced her the first week she moved in.  
She turned to look at me with a smile. "Oh, did you go shopping?" she asked.  
I responded with a nod, not trusting myself to speak. I felt like I was on the edge of insanity. I hurried to my room and stripped off my uniform, replacing it with one of the dresses that Olivia had given me. It made me feel a little better to be in normal clothes. I was one step closer to getting what I needed.  
I'd had a fuck friend for awhile. A guy who'd lived in the small neighborhood that was next to the hotel. He'd been good in bed, but he'd moved for his job, leaving me to trawl for dick at the convenience store. I was way too on edge to take the train and go to a club. I sat at one of the tables in front of the store with a bag of chips and a few cans of beers, watching the customers go in and out as I shuffled the deck of cards that I always carried in my purse. It wasn't too long before a guy in his mid-twenties crossed the street and headed towards the store. He wasn't bad looking. He had nice lips and his hair was mussed.  
"Hey," I said with a smile as he passed by. "It's a nice night."  
"Uh, yeah," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact as he hurried into the shop.  
I'd spooked him but by the time he came back out of the store he'd pulled himself together. "You know how to play anything?" he asked, stepping up to the table.  
"Yeah, I can play a lot of things. You wanna join me?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair and holding his gaze with mine.  
"Yeah," he said, setting down his grocery bag with fingers that were trembling a little. "What's your favorite?"  
"Do you work for the hotel?" I asked.  
"No," he said, looking a little confused, afraid he was giving the wrong answer and he'd lose his chance. "I work for the bank down the street."  
"That's great," I said with a big smile. "And my favorite game is strip poker, but we really can't play that out here."  
I watched his cheeks flush and he said, "We can go to my place."

His name was Nori. We decided to skip the card game and get right to the fucking. He was a dud in bed. After a few clumsy kisses and a couple of nipple pinches, he'd shoved his dick into me and was pounding away, completely oblivious to the fact that I was lying disgruntled beneath him  
I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "hey, let me get on top", pushing him over while he blinked down at me in confusion. I straddled him in the reverse cowgirl position, lowered myself onto his cock and filled my head with images of Soryu Oh.  
I knew that I shouldn't do it. Even if there was a chance that we would end up in bed together, I still needed to control my mind and body when I was around him. There were a dozen guys that I could have pictured while I worked my pussy on Nori's shaft, but Soryu was the only one that I was interested in. The image of me licking and nuzzling his neck came out of hiding and I wondered what he would smell like, what his skin would taste like and what I would need to do to get his impassive mask to melt away.  
Would he like me to suck and nibble his earlobe? To whisper dirty talk in his ear? To pull his hair? If I kissed him, he'd take over. His mouth would be hot and forceful, his tongue demanding. He'd push me down on the bed and touch me with hands that conquered and commanded. I cupped my breasts and rolled my nipples between my thumb and fingers while I imagined his hands on me. He would be the type that stared into your eyes when he was touching you, watching for your reaction, letting you know exactly who was in control and meting out the pleasure.  
My body began tensing up and everything focused between my legs as I got close to an orgasm. I imagined Soryu over me, his cock long and hard, the tip glistening as he moved between my thighs and entered me, filling me with his hot length. I ground myself down on the dick inside of me, moving fast and hard, pushing down to get the tip to bump against my cervix, imagining another man inside of me, hovering over me hot and sweaty, his eyes watching as I orgasmed beneath him.  
I rolled off of Nori and lay on the bed, my head at his feet, dragging in breaths to calm myself down.  
"That was so fucking hot," he said and I wondered what Soryu would say if I were lying next to him. Maybe just the same thing - my brain was too sluggish to think of something else - but Soryu would say it differently. '_That was so fucking hot_,' he said in my mind, his voice deep, sexy and intimate. Not immature and excitable like Nori's was.  
'_Fuck, I have to stop this_,' I said to myself as I pushed myself off the bed and headed into the bathroom to clean myself up. The last thing that I needed to do was to build a crazy obsession for Soryu when I would actually have to interact with him sometimes. I needed to be completely in control when I was around him, professional and businesslike, not lost in fantasies with a wet cunt.  
I went back out into Nori's tiny studio apartment and picked my underwear up off of the floor.  
"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up and looking at me with puppy dog eyes. "Are you leaving? I thought you could stay the night and we could do it some more."  
I sighed and looked at him. "Do you have a girlfriend?" I was okay with a one night stand with a guy who had a girlfriend - not a wife - but not anything long term. If a guy was going to be an ass and cheat, that was on him, but I wasn't okay with taking a guy away from another woman for more than a night.  
"No," he said, pouting a little. "We broke up a couple of weeks ago."  
I frowned at him. He was awful in bed, but I needed someone to fuck. There was no telling how stressful being in a yakuza would be and I was going to be taking classes with Olivia _every day_. I couldn't even imagine how often she might want to push our conversations past the superficial. I might need to fuck someone on the daily. "I'm not interested in a boyfriend, but I need a fuck friend," I said. "The kind where I contact you, you never contact me."  
"I can do that," he said without taking the time to think about it, eager to get his dick back into me.  
"And you've got a lot to learn. Like, _a lot_," I informed him without any sympathy. "I'm not even sure you're worth my time. You'd have to be totally willing to learn whatever I teach you. If you drag your feet or complain, I'm out."  
"Yeah, yeah. No problem," he said excitedly. He really was like a puppy. "I'll do my best to learn whatever you want to teach me."  
"I need clean bedding on the bed whenever I come here and beer in the fridge and snacks. I prefer salty snacks to sweet." At this point I knew that I was being a bit of an ass, but if I was going to put a bunch of effort into teaching this guy how to fuck a woman, I at least deserved a few bags of chips.  
"I can do all that. No problem," he assured me.  
"Okay, then," I said, dropping my underwear and climbing onto the bed. "We'll start with kissing."


	2. New Information

"House wins," I said, reaching out to gather up the cards on the blackjack table and take the chips from Yamauchi, the man that I was watching for Soryu. He gave a rueful laugh, in good spirits despite the loss since he'd been winning much more than he'd been losing. I'd made sure of it in order to keep him at my table.  
The table was wired so that everything said was being recorded, but Soryu had still asked me to watch Yamauchi's expressions and body language. He was with two other men and they were mostly talking about some sort of business or finances while they gave the hand signals to play the game. Luckily, I wasn't supposed to follow the conversation because I had no idea what they were talking about.  
What I did know was that Yamauchi was lying, _a lot_. Especially to the man in the green tie named Tau. I'd been raised by my father to read people's faces, to find and exploit their tells. Yamauchi was dropping tells like rain and they said that he was planning on fucking Tau over.  
I caught sight of Soryu out of the corner of my eye while I dealt a new hand of cards to the men. He was at the craps table with Mitsunari Baba and Ota Kisaki, as usual his eyes never stopped scanning the room. He was good. He never met my eyes or gave any indication that anything abnormal was going on at my table.  
I was doing pretty good myself. I'd seen Soryu several times over the last few days - at the penthouse and in a meeting to prepare for tonight's spying - and every time I had succeeded at fighting off fantasies and controlling my body. Of course, he was still gorgeous and sexy and if he crooked his finger at me I'd follow him straight to hell, but I was able to be bright and businesslike around him without secretly imagining going down on him.  
It helped that Pumped 4.2 had just come out with a new music video and Yasu Ueda was shirtless in a couple of scenes. So, I was able to replace Soryu as my go-to masturbation material, though to be honest even Yasu couldn't compete with him. There was just something about him, his quiet strength and his dark eyes, that sort of had me captivated, but I was controlling my response and that was what really mattered.

After my shift I went to the security cage at the entrance to the penthouse elevator and the guard checked me out and then let me go up. Soryu, Eisuke and Mamoru were waiting to debrief me. They were all very interested in what I had to say. Apparently, Eisuke and Mamoru had been listening to the transmission from the wiretap while Yamauchi was playing at my table.  
"He was definitely lying to Tau the entire time," I explained. "It's like he's setting a trap for him, and… Well, I just get the sense that the end is going to be violent or deadly. Yamauchi seems super shady. He may look like a nice grandpa, but I get the feeling that he's out for blood."  
"What about the other guy? Kato?" Mamoru asked, stubbing out his cigarette.  
"It was like he was just sort of there and Yamauchi would take him down with Tau if he was along for the ride, but he isn't a big concern to Yamauchi," I said. Soryu was sitting on a couch next to Eisuke tapping away at a laptop that sat in front of him on the coffee table. He suddenly sat up, took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. He didn't even look up, he went right back to typing, but my stomach flipped.  
I pictured myself pushing his arms aside, straddling his lap, pulling his tie off and unbuttoning his shirt. He had to have an awesome chest. It was so broad even in his suit. Was he into nipple play? I wanted to taste him so fucking bad…  
I dug my fingernails into my palms, pressing hard to drive the images out of my mind. I had to stop. I was in the middle of _work_. We were talking about some serious shit and I was even worried that Yamauchi might be planning to kill Tau. It was not the time to be fantasizing about Soryu.  
Looking up, the first thing I saw was Eisuke's eyes on me. He was _smirking_. He'd fucking read my mind and knew what I'd been thinking about - at least enough to know that I wanted Soryu. I'd been fantasizing during my first report after my very first assignment. I'd even let my mask drop. _What the fuck was wrong with me?_ I was supposed to be fighting my attraction to Soryu, not diving right in to a full on insane obsession.  
Groaning internally, I asked the question that I'd already told myself not to ask. I knew that I was just a foot soldier in Eisuke's yakuza. I shouldn't have any more information than I already had. I didn't need more info and having it might even increase the danger that I was in. But I couldn't stop myself. I _had_ to move the conversation forward. Mamoru was staring off into space while smoking another cigarette and Eisuke looked like he might say something embarrassing to Soryu at any moment.  
"So, is Yamauchi going to kill Tau or something?" I asked. Eisuke's smirk turned into a frown. Mamoru bent forward to flick his ashes, his eyes trying to read me.  
Soryu's fingers stopped clacking on the keys and he looked at me over his laptop. "Don't worry about that," he warned.  
"Yeah, I know," I said, suddenly wishing that I could leave. I'd asked a stupid question to save my ass and now I regretted it.  
"Tell us more about Tau," Mamoru said, setting the conversation back on track.  
_Why hadn't I just thought of that myself?_ I needed to get ahold of myself in more ways than one. "He seemed pretty oblivious," I replied. "He was relaxed and enjoying himself. He trusts Yamauchi. He thought he was with a friend."  
"And Kato?" Mamoru asked.  
"I'd say he was more interested in the cards than anything else. Yamauchi and Tau kept talking about money and stocks and stuff. It seemed like Kato wanted to relax instead of talking about business," I explained. "But, he was interested in getting in on whatever deal the other two were working out. He'd just rather have talked about it at a different time."  
"You're good at reading people," Eisuke said. "You'll be useful."  
"Thanks," I replied, hoping that meant I was forgiven for overreaching my limits. "My father was a gambler. I was raised on poker chips and playing cards."  
Eisuke responded with his usual smirk. "I think we're finished with you for now. Show her out Soryu."  
At the elevator Soryu used his fingerprint to open the doors. "You did a good job tonight. I'll contact you when we need you again. I've already deposited $1000 into your account."  
"Thanks. Have a good night," I said, stepping into the elevator. He replied with an expressionless nod as the doors closed between us.

I already had a text message typed out to Nori telling him that I wanted to hook up before the elevator even reached the first floor. As soon as I stepped out into the lobby and my phone got its signal back, I hit send. I'd changed out of my uniform before I went up to the penthouse, so there was nothing stopping me from heading straight to his apartment.  
He must have jumped in the shower when he got my text because he opened the door with wet hair and a towel around his waist. I greeted him with a smile and asked, "Where do you keep your clothes for work?"  
"In the closet," he said and followed after me as I went over and opened the closet door.  
"You only have white dress shirts?" I asked. Soryu prefered dark shirts - today he'd been wearing a navy blue one. When Nori said yes, I handed one of his shirts to him. "Put this on and button it up."  
He took the shirt and I riffled through his ties. They were hanging on a little rack on the closet door. The only light blue one that he had was patterned with diamonds, but it would have to do. As soon as he'd finished buttoning his shirt, I handed him the tie.  
"What about pants?" he asked when I stepped away from the closet.  
"You won't need pants," I answered. "Put the towel away, sit on the couch and loosen your tie a little."  
While he dropped the towel off in the bathroom and settled onto the couch, I examined the small room and tried to figure out exactly what I wanted. When I was ready, I walked over and stood in front of him.  
He didn't deserve to be used while I thought of another man. He'd done everything that I'd asked of him, learned every technique and hooked up whenever I requested it, even on his lunch breaks. He was kind and he was cute and he deserved to be fucked for himself, not as a substitute. And I needed to fight my urge to fantasize about Soryu. It had interfered with my work tonight and I couldn't let that happen again.  
I lowered myself onto him, straddling his legs and running my hands up his chest and neck until they were buried in his damp hair. "You smell good," I said, admiring the plump curve of his lower lip before I dipped down to lick over it and then suck it into my mouth. My body started heating up and my nipples tightened as I pushed my tongue into his mouth to play with his. He tasted like toothpaste and his tongue was more forceful than usual. He was gaining confidence in himself and that really turned me on.  
His hands slipped up under my dress and caressed over my thighs and ass while we kissed until we were both hot and breathless. I sat up and went to work taking off the tie and unbuttoning his shirt. It wasn't nearly as hot as my fantasy about Soryu, but I refused to allow those imagines back into my mind. I focused on Nori's chest, it was hot and smooth and he was definitely into nipple play. He caught my head in his hands and pushed himself into my mouth while I licked and nibbled his sensitive nubs. He liked a little more pain and pressure than most people were able to tolerate and that always made me super hot and wet. It was so much easier for me to lose myself in the act when the person that I was fucking was willing to take things outside the boundaries of vanilla sex.  
His hands pushed me away from his chest and pulled off my dress. I opened up my bra and dropped it behind me onto the floor, shivering in anticipation as his fingers reached for me. He touched me just the way I like, strumming his knuckles back and forth across my hard nipples until I was arching into his touch and moaning rhythmically. I'd trained him well. He knew exactly when to take my nipples between his fingers and pinch hard to send me into a tittie orgasm.  
I fisted my hands into his shirt and cried out as the waves of pleasure rippled over my stomach. He pulled me forward, bringing my tits to his mouth and lapping over my nipples, drawing out the tail end of my orgasm, making me whimper and moan.  
His hand slipped between my thighs and his fingers stroked over my underwear. "You're so fucking wet," he said. "I want to get inside of you." His fingertips pushed the thin fabric between the swollen lips of my cunt and rubbed circles around my clit.  
Moaning, I pushed into his hand and rocked my hips, enjoying the feel of his fingers playing with me until he took them away and pushed me off of his lap so that he could take my underwear off. His hand went back between my legs as soon as my thong hit the floor. Two fingers slipped between my folds and up inside of me, exploring and stroking. I enjoyed the feel of it for a few moments and then reached over to grab the light blue necktie.

"Here," I said, handing him the tie. "I want you to bind my hands together and then tie them to the knob on your front door."  
After he bound my wrists, I knelt facing the door and he secured my hands to the knob. I gave the tie a few good yanks to make sure the doorknob would hold and then got on my knees with my ass in the air, my torso held up by my bound hands. Nori settled himself between my legs and ran his hands over my thighs.  
"Your pussy looks delicious from this angle," he said. "What do you want? Can I spank you?"  
"Yeah, you can spank me, but mostly I want you to fuck me really rough. And talk a lot. I want to hear your voice," I said.  
"Looks like someone's been a bad girl and needs to be punished," he said as he began spanking me. Let's face it, his voice was too sweet for him to really pull off dirty talk - especially stuff about punishing me - but I wanted the constant reminder that it was Nori behind me.  
I moaned as his hand slapped my ass, the rhythmic sting morphing from pain into pleasure and excitement and filling me with a burning need to be fucked. "_Do it now_," I cried, my voice laced with desperation.  
"Do you want this cock, you dirty little slut?" he asked, his gentle voice making the words sound almost like a parody. He rubbed the head of his dick through my slippery folds and over my clit, making me shiver with anticipation. His hand skimmed up my back and he bent over me, bringing his mouth near my ear, saying in a husky whisper, "_Bad girls have to beg for it_."  
When he lowered his voice like that, it lost all hint of sweetness. The hushed words were menacing and my body automatically responded by tightening and amping up the ache in my cunt. "Oh fuck, yes," I breathed, I'd never heard his voice sound like that before and I really liked it. "Please fuck my pussy. _Please_."  
His hand slipped from my back, his fingers trailing around my side and up to my tit. He clasped my nipple and pinched it hard, making me cry out and arch into his touch. "You've been a bad girl and bad girls get used like the little sluts that they are."  
His voice was returning to normal, but it didn't matter. He was pushing his dick into me with force, his hands on my hips pulling hard as he plunged deep inside of me. Moans fell from my lips as he thrust into me again and again, each stroke nice and hard. He'd always been so careful and considerate, a bit hesitant to make a move as I taught him to properly fuck a woman. Now he wasn't holding back and it felt incredibly good. Waves of heat were flooding through me and I was tightening my pussy around him, savoring each rough stroke.  
He'd been talking almost nonstop, words about bad girls and sluts and hot pussies falling over me in a voice that was too kind. Now, he lapsed into silence and the rhythm of his thrusts intensified as he worked himself towards an orgasm.  
The quiet was my undoing. Images of Soryu were suddenly all that I could see. His body behind me, his hands locked on my hips, his cock plunging into me, lifting me towards my climax. He'd been there all along, an assassin hiding in my mind, just waiting for the opportunity to attack and overtake me.  
Nori's hand fisted in my hair and pulled hard, the pain arching through my body and sending my cunt into spasms. But in my mind it was Soryu's fingers tangled in my locks, his dark eyes watching me as I cried out with my release.  
Behind me, Nori pulled out of me and he must have slipped the condom off because moments later I felt his cum falling on my ass. But all of that was far away, I was detached, in a quiet bubble with only my own gasps echoing in my ears, mesmerized by the light blue tie that bound my wrists.

"What's this hole in the floor?" I asked Olivia. We were sitting on the terrace outside the penthouse drinking tea and enjoying the late September sun.  
Olivia laughed and said, "That's where the hot tub goes. Before I moved in here, the guys were always bringing girls up to the penthouse and having sex in it. I told Eisuke there's no way I'll get in it with him unless he got a new one. They brought the new one but there was something wrong with it. Now we're waiting for a replacement. It's custom made, so it'll take awhile. Eisuke is _so_ pissed."  
She laughed some more and I joined in. "You look really happy," I said. "Even though you and Eisuke have such a weird relationship."  
"He's not a typical guy," she said with a smile. "It's kind of like dating a roller coaster - one of those really scary ones with giant free falls - but I'm figuring it out."  
"As long as you're happy," I said skeptically. Olivia had described the ups and downs of some of Eisuke's moods and whims and I really had no idea how she tolerated being in a relationship with him. She seemed to enjoy the adrenaline rush of never knowing just what he was going to do. That sort of thing just reminded me of my parents' abusive relationship - full of storms of love and hate, never quiet and secure.  
"What about you?" she asked. "Aren't you seeing anyone? I remember that guy in catering seemed interested in you."  
"I don't hook up with Tres Spades employees," I said and then gave her a mischievous smile. "But I am interested in Soryu. Tell me what you know about him."  
"Oh my god! Soryu? That's so perfect. If you guys started dating then we could double date and do a bunch of stuff together," she said, obviously daydreaming about the four of us skipping around in the sun together. "And he's so nice. He'd make a great boyfriend."  
I'd definitely noticed that Soryu was strangely nice to Olivia when he was cold and reserved to basically everyone else except Eisuke and the three other guys who hung out in the penthouse. It gave me some hope that I could get past his guard just like Olivia had, although I had no idea how to do that.  
"Well, I'm really not looking for a boyfriend right now. More like a friend with benefits," I said.  
"Oh, really?" Olivia leaned close to whisper to me, even though we were the only ones on the terrace. "Baba and Ota told me that Soryu's a closet pervert… If you're into that kind of thing."  
"He seems so serious," I said thoughtfully. "I never would have guessed."  
I felt my heart start to pound in my chest. If Soryu was really a pervert, it should be easy to to get into his bed. I'd been trying to find a chink in his stern demeanor, a moment where I could flirt or get a step closer to him. I hadn't found a single opening in the few weeks that I'd known him. He was always completely businessnesslike and I was always doing my best to control myself when I was near him. Even if he had given me an opening, I was so tense around him that I probably would have fucked it up. If he was a perv, then I should be able to just talk to him without worrying about hints or body language or flirting at all. I could be up front and we could get straight to the action. I could fuck him a few times and cure myself of what was turning into a crazy obsession. _If_ he was interested.

Several nights later I spotted Soryu as he walked into the nightclub. It was the first time I'd seen him since Olivia had told me that he was a pervert. The information had been making me go a little crazy. If he was a pervert, what were his kinks? I'd been spending way too much time the last few days fighting off triple x rated images of the two of us together as my brain supplied me with possibilities.  
I turned my attention to a couple of guests as they walked up to my table and started placing their bids. I was thankful for the distraction, but I couldn't stop myself from keeping tabs on Soryu as he greeted a few people and then went to speak to the floor manager. I lost track of him after that, but fifteen minutes later the floor manager stepped up to my table with one of the blackjack assistants.  
"We're switching you out, Sakiko," he said. "They want you in the director's office."  
Excitement and nervousness shivered through me. I was probably going to be given a new assignment and I'd be talking to Soryu. Maybe I'd even have the chance to offer him a hook up. By the time I got to the office, my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and my stomach felt a little queasy.  
Soryu got straight down to business, as usual. "Obviously everything that you are ever told as part of your job in the network is covered by the nondisclosure agreement," he began. I'd been informed that Eisuke did not like his underground organization being called a yakuza. He preferred the term "network".  
When I nodded in understanding, Soryu continued. "I'm part of an underground organization based in Hong Kong," he explained. "We call them Triads there. The one I'm involved in is called the Ice Dragons and I run the branch here in Japan."  
"You run your own underground organization _and_ you work for Eisuke?" I asked, not bothering to hide my surprise.  
"I don't work _for_ Eisuke. I work _with_ Eisuke. Our interests often overlap," he said.  
I'd probably offended him. "Yeah, okay. No wonder it seems like you're always working."  
"Let's focus on your assignment," he said with a frown. "The Ice Dragons have a long standing connection with a triad called the Bell Crickets. The Crickets have expanded into Japan and their boss wants his daughter to marry someone powerful in Japan in order to solidify their power here."  
He crooked his eyebrow at me to make sure that I understood and I said, "Okay" even though it sounded crazy to me.  
"Mei Ling will be arriving on Wednesday. I want you to act as a 24/7 companion to her. She's here to go to matchmaking meetings. I'll be with her as well as some additional security, but I'm sure she'd appreciate a female presence. The woman who was going to do it just found out she's pregnant, so she's being pulled from all assignments. I figured you could do the job," he said.  
I hesitated for a moment. This was going to take me out of the casino. I felt safe at work, nothing bad had ever happened in the casino. But it didn't seem like this new assignment could be dangerous. I was just going to hang out with a woman while she went to marriage meetings. Why would that be dangerous?  
"Yeah, I can do that," I said.  
"There is some level of danger involved," he said. Of course he'd say that as soon as I'd decided it was safe. "Mei Ling is a Triad Princess and that makes her a target. However, we don't expect any trouble and the two of you will always have security."  
I nodded and watched his face. I was beginning to understand why people sometimes complained about my poker face. Soryu didn't give anything away. He was impossible to read and it was getting to be really frustrating.  
"You'll be staying in the penthouse for the duration of Mei's visit, which should last a few weeks. Pack a bag and bring it with you Wednesday morning when you meet Olivia to go to your classes. After your classes, we'll go and meet Mei at the airport," he said and looked down at his phone as it received a message. "That's all for now. Go back to work."  
Whatever message he'd received must have been important because he left the office with me and then walked briskly down the hallway. There wasn't going to be a chance for the two of us to talk about sex unless I was willing to yell, "Hey, wanna fuck?" after his retreating back. But it looked like I'd probably be seeing him every day while I acted as an escort for Mei, so surely I'd be able to find an opportunity to talk to him sooner rather than later.

On Wednesday, I was hot and sweaty as I rode in the limo back to the hotel with Olivia. Our classes were grueling. I'd been expecting a self-defense class with a bunch of housewives kicking padded dummies. Instead, Olivia and I were the only two people in the class and we were being taught to disable or kill someone with our bare hands. And Olivia couldn't get enough of it, she was like a demon when we were in class. Apparently, she was practicing what she learned by launching surprise attacks on Eisuke in the penthouse. She complained every day in class because she had yet to take him down and demanded that the instructors teach us faster.  
I was also hot and bothered. The classes always got my blood pumping and I normally hooked up with Nori on his lunch break to work off a little extra energy. However, Nori was on vacation and visiting his parents. I hadn't been fucked in days. I was so fucking horny that I was having trouble keeping my eyes off of Olivia.  
She was lying on the seat that stretched across the back of the limo with her phone in the air, staring up at the screen. I swear that the only time she ever wore a bra was when we were in class. Now the air conditioner was on full blast and Olivia's nipples looked like they were rock hard, poking through the thin material of her dress and pointing up at the ceiling. I groaned and buried my face in my hands as I tried to get my ass under control. Eisuke would probably put me in front of a firing squad if he caught me ogling her.  
"God, I suck at this!" Olivia cried and sat her phone down on her stomach.  
"What are you trying to do?" I asked.  
She gave me a considering look and then said, "Eisuke has a long lost sister and I thought I could try to help find her using the internet or something. I shouldn't have even bothered. If private detectives and people like that can't find her, how could I find her? I don't even know what I'm doing."  
"Did she run away or something?"  
"No, she and Eisuke were adopted by two different families when they were kids," she explained. "The family that adopted her didn't keep her. They sent her away somewhere or something and they won't tell Eisuke where she is."  
"Wow, that's shady as fuck," I said. She was nodding unhappily, but I was feeling horrified. Olivia was way too innocent. My mind was going to child sex trafficking and murder, but she was obviously just thinking about the little girl being lost. Something like that could have happened to Eisuke's sister? Maybe wealth didn't protect people as much as I thought it did.  
"We need to talk to Chisato," I said, pulling my mind away from the negative and trying to focus on how I could help Olivia and Eisuke. "She's one of those internet sleuths."  
"She is? What does that mean?" Olivia asked.  
"Her hobby is solving crimes using the internet. You know, cold cases and stuff," I explained. "Last year she was part of a group that found out who that serial killer in Ikebukuro was. Like, she was a big part of solving the crime. They even wanted to put her on the news, but she wouldn't do it. The police couldn't even figure out who the killer was, but Chisato and her friends did."  
"Wow, that's amazing!" Olivia had sat up. She looked really excited. "I need to talk to her right away."  
I watched as her face clouded and she said, "But she isn't in the underground. I _can't_ talk to her about this."  
"Maybe they'd let her in if you asked. You basically have them wrapped around your little finger," I said.  
"Yeah, sometimes it seems like that and sometimes it doesn't," she said with a sigh. "And I wouldn't be able to tell them why. If I said I wanted help finding Eisuke's sister, they would just tell me not to worry about it. I can hear them now, '_Leave that to the men_.' I'll have to say something else. Like a need another friend to talk to or something. And is it even _right_ to ask Chisato to join for this? It will one more of my friends in danger."  
"I think in the end you'd just have to let Chisato decide," I said. "Soryu doesn't hold back when he asks if you want to join. He makes it very clear that there is danger involved."  
"You're right. I really want to help Eisuke. So, at the very least I should ask Soryu and see what he says."  
I smiled and nodded and felt a weight begin to ease off of me. If I was no longer Olivia's one and only friend, I could back away a little bit. If I could distance myself from her then her friendship would no longer feel so claustrophobic. And it made more sense for Chisato to be her best friend. Chisato was kind and motherly and supportive. She would have really good advice to give to Olivia, not the shit that I made up. I'd go back to being the sort of person that Olivia could joke around with, not the person that she leaned on.


	3. The Princess

"The landing's been delayed," Soryu said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "It's going to be another half hour until the the jet can land."  
I nodded, even though he wasn't even looking at me. He'd been talking on the phone nonstop the entire time we were in the limo on the way to the airport and walking to the private gate to meet Mei Ling. This was the first opportunity that I'd had to talk to him.  
I pulled my own phone out and opened up my photo gallery. I couldn't figure out why I was so nervous. I'd fucked plenty of men. I'd propositioned many of them out of the blue, not bothering to flirt or test the waters. Why was it so nerve wracking to make an offer to Soryu? Yes, he was extremely fucking hot and I'd lusted after him forever, but in the end he was just another guy. He put his cock in head first just like the rest of them. I shouldn't have sweaty palms and my heart should be racing because I was excited, not because I was anxious.  
I resolutely pushed all of the negative feelings down before clearing my throat to get his attention. "So," I said. "I hear you're a closet perv."  
"What?" he asked as he turned to look down at me with his usual scowl.  
"Don't worry," I said, smiling up at him. "Your secret is safe with me. I'm a perv, too."  
I held up my phone to show him the picture on the screen. In it, I was naked except for a rope tied in a pentagram breast harness around my tits.  
His eyes flicked to the picture and away. "That isn't you," he said irritably.  
Did he think I was lying? I took another look at the screen. In the picture I was looking down and my hair was covering most of my face. So, he didn't believe me. He must think I was making up being a perv and using someone else's picture to prove my claim. I swiped to the next picture and held it up for him to see.  
"That's definitely me," I said. The picture showed me in the same harness, but in this one I was sitting on a man's lap. One of his hands was pinching my nipple and the other was playing with my pussy. I was staring at the camera, my face filled with lust.  
Soryu frowned down at my phone. "Who's taking that picture?" he asked, his tone mildly demanding.  
I raised my eyebrows and glanced at the screen. "My ex," I answered. '_Ex_' was easier than saying, '_This guy that I used to fuck for a while until he started to want more and I had to cut him loose._'  
"Then who's touching you?" he asked.  
"Uhhh…" I studied the picture. The man's face was buried in my neck and you could only see a shock of black hair. "Either my ex's brother or his friend. They had similar haircuts… I think it's probably his brother, but there isn't a lot to go by in this picture."  
I pulled the phone back to me to close the app and turn off the screen. "Anyway, I'm down to fuck anytime you are, if you're interested. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not afraid of a little perversion - or a lot."  
When I glanced back up at him, I was caught in his dark gaze. He was staring into my eyes, searching for clues and adding them up. I suddenly realized that he'd never really looked at me before. Until now I'd always been just an employee, someone to tell to '_go here_' and '_do that_'.  
My eyes were open and unguarded. I'd been trying to make a bit of a connection, to say, '_We have something in common. So, let's fuck_.' and I'd let my mask drop. He was taking advantage of that, his eyes plumbing my soul in search of my secrets. He was trying to figure me out.  
I turned away from him with a frown and stared across the waiting area, quickly putting my poker face back in place. When I looked back at him out of the corner of my eye, he was facing forward again and his eyes were back to scanning the empty seats. He wasn't going to give me an answer, which meant he wasn't interested. Which shouldn't come as a surprise. He wasn't always in the news and magazines like Eisuke, but he probably dated models and actresses just like his friend. He wasn't going to be interested in someone like me, nothing special in the looks department and a few dollars in the bank account.  
I'd put myself out there and I'd been turned down. It was no big thing, it had happened many times before. It was more of a disappointment since I'd had a lust crush on Soryu for so long, but it was nothing that I couldn't shake off. '_And_,' I reminded myself as a pretty woman in a tight airport uniform walked into the gate area and stepped behind the desk. '_I don't need his dick at all. There are plenty of people that I can fuck_.'

Mei Ling was awesome. She was beautiful, wore a red cheongsam, and was definitely a _Princess_. There was just a certain air about her. You could look at her and _tell_ that she was special. She'd been coddled and pampered and kept away from the real world for her entire life, but she wasn't stuck up at all. She was nice and cheerful and carefree and very much ready to have fun.  
The first thing she asked for when she got off her private jet was to visit Harajuku. Soryu was surprisingly indulgent. He made a call and two of his men met us there. The three of them followed us around without interruption or complaint as Mei and I went from shop to shop. She was amazed and thrilled by almost everything that she saw, and she spent money like water. Once every few shops, one of the men would be sent to take her purchases back to the waiting limo. After the first block or so, I started to wonder if there would be room for us to ride back to the hotel or if we'd have to take a taxi.  
Mei was also a fucking sex kitten. Her friendliness with me quickly morphed into flirting. When she met my eyes, her gaze was full of seduction and when she smiled, her lips spelled sex. And her _hands_ were all over the place. Brushing my shoulders, flitting through my hair, resting on my hips, touching, touching, always touching… I was shocked by how forward she was, I mean it was like she had no sense of boundaries. I couldn't help but wonder if this was how she behaved in Hong Kong, or if she was acting so uninhibited because she was in Japan.  
She was so pretty and every time she touched me or gave me a look full of promises a little zing of electricity would go through me. I wouldn't have turned her down on a normal day, but on a day when I wanted to forget that Soryu had rejected me, Mei's aggressive flirting was just what I needed. It was a great distraction and a wonderful reminder that I didn't need him. There were plenty of fish in the sea.  
But I kept casting a glance over my shoulder, trying to check Soryu's reaction. I wanted some sort of hint that it would be okay for me to respond to her. Was I going to be in danger if I touched the Bell Cricket Princess? Or would I be in danger if I said _no_ to the Bell Cricket Princess? But Soryu's face was as stoic as ever. If he noticed what Mei was doing, he didn't give the slightest indication. Let's face it. He didn't even give an indication that he'd noticed me looking at him.

After walking a few blocks, we ended up at a sidewalk cafe sitting on pink chairs and eating crepes. Well, Mei and I were eating crepes. Soryu and his two men had turned down such girly food. They sat frowning on the little pink chairs while Mei giggled and exclaimed over the clothes that people passing by were wearing.  
"Oh, Sakiko, look over there!" she exclaimed in her cute Hong Kong accent and leaned over me to point down the street. As she did, she placed a hand on my thigh and edged her fingertips an inch or two under the hem of my dress. "Is that not a cute themed hotel? Let's stay there on one night!"  
My cunt clenched as her fingers slid over my thigh and my hand automatically went to rest on top of hers. After a moment's hesitation, I squeezed her hand and stroked my thumb over her wrist. "Oh that looks so adorable," I agreed. "We should definitely see if we can get a room sometime."  
'_Like now,' _my body said, as I felt a flush creep up into my cheeks. Mei gave me a bright smile and sat up, returning her hands to her crepe. I breathed a sigh of relief - I'd really been afraid of how far she might go in public - and glanced over at our bodyguards. They were all scanning the crowd around us and didn't appear to have noticed a thing. My legs were hidden by the table, but I couldn't help but wonder how oblivious these men actually were. It would make sense if guards were trained to be expressionless at all times, standing like statues and pretending like they couldn't hear anything.  
"What are you looking for in a husband, Mei?" I asked, curious about her marriage meetings.  
"Oh…" She looked up as if she were gathering together a list of traits, but then her shoulders slumped and her eyes fell. "I do not really want to get married. However, my father says that it is time. But, he has promised me that if I get married then he will get me a shop and I can design clothes and sell them out of the shop. I cannot work there, certainly, but people will be able to buy the clothes that I create."  
I blinked at her, deciding to ask about designing clothes rather than the sadder topic of an unwanted marriage. "You design clothes? I didn't know that," I said with a smile. "I'd like to see some of your designs."  
"I have some sketchbooks in my luggage. I will be sure to show them to you," Mei said and then gave me a big smile. "I am so happy to be here in Japan. In Hong Kong I must stay locked away at all times. Never can I walk on the sidewalk. When I go to shops there must be a big plan with security and the shops have to be closed to all other customers. Here in Japan, I can be just like a normal woman and really see the world. This is like a dream to me to be here."  
"I'm so happy that you came," I said, smiling at her to mask the fact that I felt sorry for her. "Let's have a lot of fun together."

"Sakiko, you are like my first true friend," Mei said. We were lounging on a couch in the penthouse at the end of the evening. She was holding my hand and I felt happy and relaxed. "Always before I have known girls and women who look at me as a princess and want something from me. But you, I can see that you don't want anything from me. Only to have a fun time."  
"You're right. This is like a vacation for me, too," I said, rubbing my fingers over hers. "Let's have as much fun as we can."  
"Don't get too carried away," Soryu suddenly said. He'd barely spoken for hours and it was strange to hear his voice. "Don't forget there are marriage meetings to go to. That's the priority."  
I looked at Mei and rolled my eyes. "We know, Soryu, but she won't be in meetings all day, will she?"  
"Of course not. Feel free to make plans to tour Tokyo after the marriage meetings are finished each day. I'll email you a schedule," he said and stood up. "I'm going to go home."  
"Home?" I asked. "I thought you lived in an apartment here in the penthouse."  
"It only has one bedroom," Soryu replied.  
"Then all three of us will live together, right? Can we all sleep in the same bed?!" Mei asked excitedly.  
"I have my own home and I'll be staying there," Soryu answered with a grinding patience. "Sakiko, take care of Mei. We'll be leaving at nine-thirty tomorrow morning."  
"Yes, Sir," I said, watching him walk to the front door before turning back to Mei. "He's always so serious."  
"Do not worry about him. He has been like that since he was a child. But he is your boss and you must follow his directions. Take care of me right now," she said with a flirty smile and leaned in for a kiss.  
I put a hand on her shoulder to keep her away from me and looked into her mischievous eyes. "Hold on. Your dad isn't going to want to kill me if we do this, is he?"  
"Oh, no way, you silly girl," Mei said with a laugh and pulled my hand off her shoulder.  
I leaned forward to meet her, touching my lips to the soft mouth that had been smiling at me all day. After hours of non-stop flirting and touching, my body had been filled with a low buzz of arousal for what seemed like forever. The long denied need roared to full strength as our tongues began a playful dance.  
It was so nice to kiss and hold a woman, to rub my hand over the silk of her dress and into her long hair. It had been too long. Women were so much harder to pick up than men. It was rare that I could find one willing to hook up with me at a club. No, with women you usually had to woo them, set your sites on them and hunt them down carefully like prey, spring a trap here and shoot a bullet there until they were ready to lie down and open their bodies to you. It was a lot of work and essentially impossible while I was working at Tres Spades.  
Our lips parted for a moment as we gasped for air and Mei let out a pretty little moan, high-pitched and feminine. "I love the sound of your moans," I breathed against her lips. "I'll make sure that our room is filled with them by the end of the night. I want to drown in a sea of them."  
"Oh yes, please do," she said, slipping a hand beneath my dress to caress my thigh. "Let us both moan all night long."  
Our lips met again, her tongue searching and sweetly demanding. Passion filled my head, pushing at the thoughts and worries that clouded my mind and I let them go with a contented sigh. I let Mei fill me instead, the scent of her skin, the taste of her tongue and the feel of her gentle fingers stroking over my inner thigh.  
When her hand finally reached her goal and rubbed over my underwear, I broke off our kiss with a gasp even as my hips bucked towards her. "Let's go to the bedroom. Too many people come in here and there are definitely security guards watching us right now."  
Her face lit up and her eyes skimmed the room with devilish delight before she looked back at me with a little pout. "Then I certainly want to do it out here. Let us show them our skin and our hot love."  
_Good God, I had met my match_. Was this how the women that I had seduced had felt? Drawn in by a beautiful trap that dissolved boundaries and rules with the taste of honey? "I can't," I said, and her face fell into a pout. "I'm at work and this is my boss's home. I'm all up for having fun but I can't get fired."  
"Let them fire you. I will take you back to Hong Kong with me," Mei said with a smile and started unfastening her cheongsam. "We will only do some things here, but I cannot resist putting on a show."  
My heart pounded in my chest as she open her dress to the waist and then unhooked the front closure of her bra. Her breasts were small and perfect, her dark nipples already hard. She lay back on the couch with her usual carefree smile and said, "I want it rough. Bite and pinch me. Spank my titties."  
I was frozen, my mind struggling to put together the situation. If we were in the bedroom, I wouldn't be hesitating… at least not much. I was worried about treating a Triad Princess roughly, but she was asking for it, she wanted it and maybe I wasn't even allowed to tell her no. '_Take care of Mei_,' Soryu had said, but he couldn't have meant this. Could he? Even if it was okay, it definitely wasn't smart to do it out in the open, where anyone could walk in, where guards were watching us and probably security cameras, too.  
Mei grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her. "Now, Sakiko," she said and this time the order was clear. I reached up to roll her nipple between my thumb and finger, giving it a little pinch before letting go to lay a sharp slap on the side of her tit. My heart was pounding, my every move felt like an experiment. I kept expecting someone to come out and stop me, to ask what the fuck I thought I was doing, but nobody came.  
"That's it. Give me more," Mei said, folding her arms behind her head with a contented moan. I bent and licked over her nipple, tasting her skin and feeling her hard nub against my tongue. The sensations reached for me, burning down a familiar path, holding me in a comforting embrace. _Don't worry, just feel. Don't be afraid, don't hesitate, push forward into an erotic oblivion.  
_ I sucked Mei's nipple into my mouth and began nibbling on it, but she immediately demanded more. "Harder," she said. "Bite very hard. I'll let you know when it's enough." I followed directions and bit down hard, listening to her moans and cries to find that sweet spot near her pain threshold. She could take a lot of pain. Once I discovered what she wanted, I went about giving it to her, biting her nipples and the sweet curves of her tits, leaving teeth marks on her soft skin.  
I did as she asked and spanked her boobs, slapping them again and again, the stinging sound swallowed up by the large room. Mei moaned and urged me on, her face flushed with ecstacy and her body shuddering with pleasure. She didn't ask me to stop until her breasts glowed a bright pink and she was gasping for breath.  
"Enough," she said as she sat up to finish unfastening her cheongsam before she stood and let it fall to the floor. "Take me to the bed."  
I glanced around at the room, wondering where the security cameras were, wondering how many people were watching her as she walked in nothing but high heels and a lacy white thong. "This way," I said, and led her down the hallway to the door opposite Olivia's personal salon.  
Thankfully the door was unlocked. I was lucky that Olivia had once pointed out the doors to Soryu and Baba's apartments. Once inside, Mei immediately found the bedroom and called for me to follow her. Our bags were in there, my battered little suitcase and a large stack of fancy luggage for Mei. Staff must have already unpacked Mei's bags because she moved them aside as if they weighed nothing until she found the one she was looking for.  
"Take off your clothes quickly," she said as she began spinning a combination lock on the bag. I did as she said. Though her voice was back to bright and happy, I knew that it could change to firm and demanding if I didn't do what she wanted.  
I shivered a little, standing naked and waiting for her to open the bag. She was having trouble getting the combination right. The situation had me off balance, I couldn't quite find the role that I was supposed to be playing. Was I a friend having fun sex? Was I a servant who was being ordered to perform? What did Mei want and what were the consequences of doing as she asked or turning her down?  
I rubbed my hands over my face and tried to get my thoughts in order. Whatever happened, I would deal with it. If Eisuke and Soryu were angry and asked me to leave the network, I doubted that they would fire me from the casino, too. So I wouldn't be jobless and Mei had said that her father didn't care. I didn't need to worry about consequences, I just needed to have fun. Like usual. So, the role didn't matter. I could play sub, I could play dom, I could go vanilla, I could do whatever she wanted me to do.  
Mei had opened the lock and found what she was looking for. She walked over and handed me a big pink double dildo. I laughed as I held it in my hands, watching her kick off her shoes and take off her thong before climbing up and lying down in the middle of the huge bed.  
"Come on, Sakiko," she said. "I want us to fuck each other all night."  
I followed her onto the bed, positioning myself between her legs and bending to lick through the soft wet folds of her cunt. She tasted and felt so good, I could feel my own clit twitching as I flicked the tip of my tongue over her smooth swollen nub. She moaned and pushed herself up into my mouth, begging for more. When her legs began to shake I backed off and reached for the dildo.  
"I've never used one of these like this before, the girls I've seduced were always too shy," I explained as I fucked the fake dick into her, starting with shallow strokes before getting increasingly deeper. I watched her face, the way her lips gasped and pursed, the way she closed her eyes as she focused on the feelings inside of her and writhed on the bed.  
_Soryu's bed_. Fucking Mei on his bed felt like an act of defiance, a reminder that I didn't need him, he wasn't important, one fuck was just as good as the next.  
Positioning myself above Mei, I lowered myself onto the other end of the sex toy, letting it push into me slowly. Once I was filled to the limit, the two of us began to move experimentally. I held Mei's eyes as I rolled my hips and moved on the dildo, watching her reaction as my own pleasure trembled through my veins.  
"Oh fuck, yes. Right there," I moaned as the tip hit the sweet spot deep inside of me. Gasping and moaning, I rocked myself with tightly controlled motions so that the fake dick bumped that special place over and over again. I let my head fall back and howled my pleasure to the ceiling, my body shuddering as I felt my insides relax and open in preparation for an enormous orgasm.  
He slipped out of my mind. A shadow standing behind me and watching me pinch my own nipples as I worked my body to its release. My cunt flexed around a silicone shaft instead of his cock and I collapsed onto Mei's soft breasts rather than his hard chest. She put her arms around me and said something, but I couldn't hear it. Blood was rushing in my ears and I was gasping for air as my body continued to quake.  
By the time Mei climbed of the bed and went into the bathroom, I was returning to normal. She was as energetic and bubbly as usual. She popped her head out of the door and said, "There is a huge bathtub in here. I am going to run the water and light a lot of candles. We can take a bath together. I have some waterproof vibes."  
She disappeared back into the other room and I pushed myself further up on the bed to bury my head in a pillow. The staff had changed the bedding in preparation for Mei's visit, of course, and it seemed like they must have put new pillows on the bed, too.  
I couldn't find a hint of Soryu's scent.

"Oh my God! What have you guys _done?_" Olivia exclaimed with a laugh the next morning as she walked into the dining room.  
Mei and I had almost finished eating breakfast. I looked up from the remains of my omurice and said, "Huh? I don't know what you're talking about" with a facetious grin.  
Olivia laughed again. "If you could have seen Eisuke's face last night when one of the guards called him, it was so perfect! You really shocked him. I wish I had it on video. He did his best to cover it up, though." Her voice changed as she tried to mimic him. "_First your cat's getting hair all over my furniture and now your friends are staining my couch with pussy juice_. He's such a dork."  
We all laughed and I said, "I promise you that we didn't get anything on your couch. Soryu's bed on the other hand…"  
While Olivia and I giggled, Mei shrugged and said, "It is no problem. The maid can change the sheets."  
I gave Olivia a pointed glance, it wasn't so long ago that she was one of the maids working in the hotel and changing nasty sheets. She groaned and said, "Let's change the subject. Mei, I want to know about your marriage meetings. Who are you meeting today? Have you seen their pictures? Anyone good looking?"  
"I have not bothered to look at pictures or learn names," Mei said, waving her hand as if she could chase the subject away. "In the end I do not even know if I will be allowed to choose my husband. Perhaps my father will just choose the one who gives him the most benefit."  
Just as Olivia and I were sharing a pained glance, Soryu walked into the room. My breath froze in my lungs as he looked at me for a moment with his sharp gaze before he turned to Mei and started talking to her in rapid-fire Cantonese. He definitely seemed angry and Mei was answering him back as good as she got. If anything, she sounded even more angry than he was. I cringed every time I heard my name fall out of one of their mouths surrounded by a language that I couldn't understand.  
Finally, Soryu spun on his heel and left the room without a backward glance. I looked over at Mei nervously. "What did he say? He seems really mad and I've never even seen him like that before."  
"Yes, yes," she said with a bored shrug. "He is angry at me for playing with you and he says that I cannot take you back to Hong Kong with me. He is already like a very old man and he is not even thirty. There is really no hope for him."  
"He didn't say anything about firing me or removing me from Eisuke's network?" I asked, feeling my stomach clench as I waited for her answer.  
"Oh no, of course not. He blames only me. You are like an innocent child," Mei said and then smirked. "But I told him that I would not stop playing with you. You can tell me no if you want to, am I right?"  
"Yeah, you're right," I said and looked at Olivia. "Soryu is so weird. I even told him that I'm a perv yesterday and showed him a picture. Why would he act like I'm some sort of innocent victim?"  
"I have no idea," Olivia said. "He _can_ be really protective. But you showed him a pervy picture of you? I want to see it."  
"You can't see it," I said with a laugh. "You _are_ too innocent."  
Olivia shook her head with a smile, "If you think I can date Eisuke Ichinomiya and be innocent at the same time, you're crazy."


	4. Corruption

"_What in the hell is going on here?_" I hissed at Soryu. We were at Mei's second and last marriage meeting of the day and I was fuming. The meeting was being held in a small coffee shop and it was the first chance I'd had to talk to Soryu privately. He and I were sitting a few tables away from Mei and her marriage prospect. "That man is old enough to be Mei's grandfather! And the guy this morning looked like the sort of person who would bite the heads off squirrels for fun! Who chose these men?"  
He stared back at me for a few moments, not letting his reaction show. "Prospective candidates contacted us and if they met Simon Lee's criteria, we scheduled a meeting."  
"That's it? You didn't think about Mei _at all_? All a man needs to marry her is a bunch of money and power? It doesn't matter what kind of person he is?" I glared across the table at Soryu. "This is _disgusting_. Mei Ling is Simon Lee's only daughter and he's going to sell her to the highest bidder? Doesn't she deserve to marry someone that she actually likes and will make her happy?"  
"I don't expect you to understand. This is just how it works in an organization. Mei's been aware of this since she was a child. It isn't hidden from us or kept a secret. Mei is playing her part, just as she was raised to do," he explained calmly in the face of my anger.  
"That is just so _wrong_. What good is being rich and powerful if it means that you have to use your children like pawns? She's just being sacrificed so that her father can get even more money that he probably doesn't even need!" It was no wonder that Mei had said she didn't want to get married.  
Once again Soryu examined by face before he responded. "Lee isn't sacrificing Mei to get more money. It's important to consolidate power and increase wealth in order to keep the Triad safe. Lee is thinking about all of his employees and their families. He's also thinking about Mei. She needs to marry a husband who can guarantee her safety. Someone who has the money and the resources to ensure that she's under constant guard. She has to marry into an army."  
"But why?" I asked, not willing to admit defeat. "Why can't her father just keep her safe? He already has enough money and people to do it."  
"Because he needs to ensure that she's taken care of after he dies. As much as he'd like to believe that his successor would take care of her, she's more likely to be taken care of by a husband."  
"It just doesn't make sense," I said with a shake of my head. It was like something out of a movie, something that shouldn't happen in real life.  
Soryu gave a little sigh and said, "My grandfather was the head of the Ice Dragons. My father was killed when I was a teenager and my grandfather passed away not long after that. I was too young to take over his position. His successor didn't take care of my father's widow or his mistresses and their children. They were cast out. The only reason that I wasn't thrown out myself was because I had _sentimental_ importance to the Ice Dragons. If Kang had tried to get rid of me, the Dragons would have been in an uproar because I was my grandfather's true heir. But that didn't help my younger half-brothers and sisters. Do you understand? Simon Lee has to make sure that Mei and her children will be protected even after he dies."  
I bit my lip. It was really becoming clear to me that Mei was in a terrible situation. "But if she's cast out, wouldn't that make her safe?"  
"No," he said, his voice grim. "A rival Triad tried to get money by kidnapping one of my father's mistresses and holding her for ransom. Kang refused to meet their demands and they killed her. But that didn't stop other Triads and even street gangs from trying the same thing. My father's widow, two more mistresses and one child were killed before everyone figured out that Kang was not going to bargain for hostages."  
"Oh my God," I said feeling my stomach twist. I turned to look across the restaurant at Mei. She was talking to her marriage prospect with a polite smile on her face. She was probably saying the same bland things she'd said in the earlier meeting. '_I like horseback riding and dim sum_.' It was heartbreaking. She was living the life of a princess with expensive clothes and jewelry, a life that looked like a dream but was always on the edge of a nightmare. "Poor Mei."  
"She was raised for this," Soryu said. "It isn't a surprise to her, she understands it completely. You don't need to try to protect her, Sakiko."  
"You're right," I said. "I was being stupid. I don't understand her world at all. I shouldn't be trying butt in."  
"It's good that you're protective. We need to protect each other in the network. It's just misplaced this time," he said. His voice was gentler and for a moment I could see a kindness in his eyes that wasn't usually there. It made my breath catch in my throat. "And you can't go to Hong Kong. You're part of Eisuke's network. You can't just quit and go join the Bell Crickets, it isn't as simple as that."  
"I don't have any intention of going to Hong Kong. That was just something Mei suggested when I was worried that I'd get fired because we made out on the couch."  
"You don't have to worry about that. It seems like Mei was just trying to rile me up by talking about taking you back to Hong Kong. She's been like that since she was a child," he said and we turned to look at her.  
She and the old man were bowing their goodbyes to each other. Mei looked over at us as she walked our way and her face lit up with a bright smile. It was probably the first time she'd really smiled since her first meeting started this morning.

"Oh, this is the most fun!" Mei exclaimed as she kicked at a man wearing a padded suit. "I want to start taking self defense lessons when I go back to Hong Kong."  
Soryu had plans for the afternoon, so the trip to Ginza that Mei had wanted had been postponed. Instead, Olivia had agreed to reschedule our daily self defense class so that Mei and I could attend.  
Olivia laughed at Mei's awkward but very enthusiastic attack on the man. "I think you'll be seriously dangerous if you learn some techniques, Mei. You look like you're out for blood."  
"I'm imagining the second man from my marriage meetings today," Mei explained as she continued kicking the man. "His views of marriage were so old fashioned! What man can think that I will just keep my mouth shut and bear his children!"  
Olivia looked over at me with raised eyebrows and whispered, "We are definitely not taking her to the shooting range."  
"I like to feel strong and kick some ass!" Mei cried as Olivia's phone beeped and she went to check it.  
"I hope your father doesn't get angry because we turned you into a warrior princess," I said with a laugh.  
"You are always so worried about my father being angry at you," Mei replied. "Do not think about my father. You do not even know him. He is not your concern. You just listen to me."  
Before I could question her advice, Olivia ran over to me and said, "Chisato talked to Soryu! She joined the network!"  
"Oh that's great," I said with a happy sigh. "I was worried that she'd say no. Or Soryu and Eisuke would think it was a bad idea."  
"They were really nice about it, thank goodness. I think this will be really good for Chisato. She's been really down lately. Did you hear about her fiance?" Olivia asked.  
"No, I haven't heard anything. I've been so busy that I haven't talked to Chisato in a little while," I replied.  
"He broke off their engagement when she got promoted to concierge," Olivia explained. "He couldn't tolerate her having a better job than he did, so he dumped her."  
"That's awful! She must have been devastated," I said. "She's the nicest person ever. How could someone do that to her?"  
"What a jerk!" Mei exclaimed, renewing her efforts to kick the hell out of the man in the padded suit. "All jerks need to be beat up!"  
"You'd better give Kurosawa Sensei a break, Mei," I said with a laugh. "I think you're starting to freak him out."

"Cheers!" I raised my glass of champagne to clink it with Olivia, Mei and Chisato. Soryu was still busy, so we'd been allowed to join Olivia and Chisato for a celebration dinner at the Purple Horizon, the restaurant at the top of Tres Spades.  
"I'm so glad that you've joined us, Chisato," I said. "I was worried that you might say no because you're a crime fighter. You don't feel like joining an underground organization is a step in the wrong direction?"  
"Hush!" Olivia hissed. "Don't make her change her mind."  
Chisato laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to change my mind. And, I guess I don't think of myself as a crime fighter. I'm more into solving mysteries. After all of the digging that I've done, I can tell you very clearly that the supposed 'good guys' are riddled with corruption."  
"Really? Is it that bad?" I asked.  
"It's much worse than you could ever imagine. It's sickening, really. And I asked Mr. Oh _a lot _of questions about Mr. Ichinomiya's network. It's more financial than violent. It isn't like he has thugs on the street getting into brawls and harrassing shopkeepers," Chisato explained.  
I glanced at Mei to see if Chisato's comment might have offended her. I wasn't sure what kind of Triad the Bell Crickets were. For all I knew they were just the sort of thugs that Chisato was talking about. But Mei was trailing her fork through the puddle of salad dressing on her plate. She'd been quiet and lost in thought for the last couple of hours. I knew that she'd been upset by the marriage meetings, but I'd been functioning under my usual _don't-get-close_ rule and hadn't asked her to talk about it.  
"What I'm really hoping is that being a part of the network will give me a little more power and connections and protect me when I need it," Chisato continued.  
"What does that mean?" Olivia asked with a frown on her face.  
"Well, if I have connections in the underground, I may be able to find out more information about a crime than I would using traditional sources," Chisato said. "And when my investigations lead me to something sketchy like corruption in the government, I'm hoping that the network can help keep me safe."  
"What do you do now if you find corruption?" I asked, concerned for my friend. I'd always pictured Chisato sitting happily behind a laptop adding up clues. I never thought she'd been in any sort of danger.  
"I've always just backed off and given up on the case," she said. "It's sad, but there isn't a chance that a person like me could successfully expose and fight that level of corruption. I'd just be putting myself in danger. There's no choice but for me to get out before the wrong people figure out that I've stumbled across their secrets."  
"I had no idea," Olivia said. "I wanted to ask you to help with something, but now you've got me thinking that it might be too dangerous."  
Chisato smiled. "Why don't you tell me what you need and I'll be the judge of whether it's dangerous or not."  
"Well, Eisuke has a long lost sister," Olivia began and I focused my attention on Mei while Olivia talked to Chisato.  
"Hey," I said quietly, rubbing her thigh to get her attention. She was wearing a royal blue cheongsam, the brightly colored dress contrasting with the sad look on her face. "Are you okay?"  
She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and I could see her forcibly dragging herself out of her melancholy and pinning a smile on her face. "It is not fun to do the marriage meetings, but I can hope that things are better tomorrow," she said. "Let's do something extra fun after dinner."  
"What do you want to do? There's a nightclub in the hotel, but I'm not sure your guards could manage to watch you in a place like that," I said and looked at the table to our right where three men sat scanning the restaurant.  
"No, I do not want to go to a club. I want to do something more exciting. I want to do a threesome," she said with an excited smile.  
"Umm… I don't know," I said, looking at Chisato and Olivia. Olivia was off limits and Chisato definitely didn't seem the type.  
"No, silly," Mei said and laughed. "I mean a threesome with you and me and a man. I know Soryu will not be interested. Maybe one of the men that hang out in the penthouse? The one named Baba said that he is a true player."  
"Uh, no. Wait a minute. I have a friend," I said and pulled out my phone. I did not want to ask one of Soryu's friends to join us. I didn't know why, it wasn't something that would normally bother me, but I wasn't interested in analyzing it. Instead I sent a text to Nori.  
Mei was eyeing our guards at the next table. "Hey, Mei," I said, putting my hand on her arm to get her attention. "Let's see what my friend says. He lives nearby and I think he'll want to join us."  
"Okay then," Mei said and turned to the food on her plate. "Does your friend have a lot of stamina?"  
I laughed and said, "He's always had enough stamina for me. I guess it remains to be seen if he can take on the two of us."  
I turned my attention to the other conversation. Chisato was saying, "It might take a little time. Digging into the past like that can be trickier. It isn't a police case so there aren't going to be a lot of public records."  
"Well, if it's too much…" Olivia began, but Chisato was quick to interrupt her.  
"No, don't worry about that," she said. "The more challenging it is, the more fun it is for me. I'll admit defeat if I have to, but not before exploring every option."  
"Thank you so much," Olivia said with a big smile. "You've always been so helpful. You're really a great friend."  
I felt relief wash over me. Olivia was looking at Chisato like she was an angel. My plan was going to work. Chisato would be joining us for self defense classes starting immediately. She'd be with Olivia just as much as I was. She'd take over the role of confidant and I would slip back into the realm of casual friend.  
My phone chimed and I read Nori's response. "My friend's in for tonight," I said to Mei with a smile. I couldn't help picturing Nori in his apartment, excited and freaking out at the same time.  
I leaned over to quietly ask Olivia, "Can you get my friend into the penthouse later? Mei wants a threesome."  
"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," she replied, her eyes searching mine.  
I gave her a reassuring smile. She was probably like Soryu, thinking that Mei was corrupting me and coercing me into things that I didn't really want. I'd always had to hide my promiscuous nature from people in the hotel. Employee conduct standards were very strict. Olivia had no idea that I was a dirty slut.  
"Take that look off your face. It's okay. I'm into it."

"Oh, that's it!" Mei cried.  
Lying sweaty and sticky on the bed, I rubbed my eyes while Mei rode Nori cowgirl style. I was tired and I was starting to worry about Nori. We'd been at it for hours and he had work in the morning.  
A pang went through me and I looked over at the closet. Mei had left it open. A row of cheongsams were hanging in it next to Soryu's suits. Grays and blacks, they hung stalwart in the closet, reminding me of what Soryu had said earlier. '_It's good that you're protective_.' Was I? I'd never thought about it before, but here I was thinking about how much sleep Nori would need for work tomorrow. And earlier I'd interfered when Mei was trying to convince him to let her fuck him in the ass with one of her dildos. '_He obviously isn't into it,' _I'd said. '_Give him some time to think about it. Maybe he'll be interested next time, but if you pressure him into doing it now he isn't going to like it_."  
Protecting people and standing up for them. I guess it was something that I did. Something I'd never paid any attention to before. Something that maybe didn't fit well with my efforts to maintain an emotional distance from people. Maybe it didn't exactly make sense. I cared about Nori, I was trying to help him become a better lover, I didn't want to see him get hurt. But I wanted to walk away and never look back whenever it suited me. The same with Mei. I didn't want to see her unhappy, married to some weird man. But it was always in the back of my mind that I was safe from a real connection with her because she'd be going back to Hong Kong soon.  
Protecting and evading didn't seem to fit well together. I frowned at the line of Soryu's suits. I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. I didn't need to evaluate my interactions with others. I just needed to do what worked for me. Soryu and his suits needed to stay out of my mind. He didn't need to think of me as anything other than an employee. He didn't need to protect me from Mei. He didn't need to try to figure me out.  
An image of his eyes appeared in my mind. The way they were for a few moments in the coffee shop. Softer and gentler than I had ever seen them. Not warm and caring, but still, too much. I wanted him to keep his distance. I didn't want him looking at me with those eyes. It was dangerous.  
I rolled off the bed and went to get into the shower. It was time to clean my body and clear out my mind.

"Oh no," I gasped and looked around the room in a panic. Spying a set of french doors that looked as if they'd been sent from heaven, I grabbed Soryu's hand and pulled him across the room. Opening the doors, I flung myself out onto the balcony and took several deep breaths.  
"That guy is wearing a ton of cologne _and_ the room is full of air freshener," I said accusingly, digging in my purse for my asthma inhaler and taking a couple of puffs from it.  
"You don't wear perfume," Soryu said.  
I looked up to see him watching me. "No, it sets off my asthma," I said. "I'm sorry I dragged you out here. I wasn't really thinking, but I did want to talk to you."  
"That's fine. I don't like scents either. They make me nauseous. Most women like to douse themselves in perfume," he said. He was still studying me. "What did you want to talk about?"  
I turned to watch Mei through the open door. Her polite smile was back in place as she talked to bachelor number three.  
"Do you know that Chisato investigates crimes on the internet? She's an internet sleuth?" I asked.  
"Yeah. Word went around last year when she helped discover that serial killer," he replied.  
"She was saying last night that it can be dangerous. That she sometimes stumbles upon corruption in the government and things like that," I said. "I just want to make sure that you're aware of that. I want Chisato to be safe and I wouldn't want the network to be pulled into anything messy…"  
I trailed off, not quite knowing how to express myself. I was being protective again, butting into things that didn't really concern me, but I wanted to make sure that Soryu knew about what could happen.  
"Thanks for the heads up," he said. I could feel his eyes looking at the side of my face, but I didn't turn to meet them. "I'll talk to Chisato about it. I don't want her to stop her hobby, but she'll need to keep us up to date with any corruption that she comes across. We're very aware that the government is riddled with corruption."  
There was a disgust in his voice that I'd never heard before. I had to force myself not to turn around and look at his face. "It makes sense that you don't like the government. You're on the side of crime after all. Laws just get in your way."  
"Laws are made by powerful people to protect their assets. They have no meaning to me," he said.  
"That's pretty deep. I never thought of it that way." This time I couldn't help but turn and look at him. Too handsome, with a hint of danger. I'd gotten used to being around him more often, but he still sometimes took my breath away.  
"Most people live their lives believing the government is working to keep them safe," he said. "I'm sure that makes it easier for them to sleep at night."  
"Do you have trouble sleeping at night?" I asked before I could stop myself. Thinking of him in bed and needing comfort or distraction was off limits. I had to fight off a host of images as they popped up in my mind - holding him, kissing him, his hands on my breasts, his fingers tangled in my hair as I took his cock into my mouth…  
"I don't have trouble sleeping at night," he was saying. "We know how to work with the government. It's usually just a matter of money and information. Eisuke got the laws changed so that he could build the Tres Spades with a casino in it. We should be able to keep your friend safe."  
"That's good to hear," I said. "She's such a nice person. She doesn't deserve to be in any danger."  
"What does that mean?" he asked, his voice had that gentle tinge to it again. It made me shiver. "Don't you think you deserve to be safe, too? Are you not nice enough to warrant safety?"  
"That's… That's not what I meant," I said. This conversation was really going off the tracks. "Chisato is just nice and innocent. I don't think she's seen the seedier side of life or experienced any real danger. She might not be able to handle it."  
"I think she's stronger than you realize or give her credit for. Most people are." His voice still carried that note of gentleness and it made me want to run away. "She'll be joining you and Olivia for your self defense classes. Hopefully that will help all of you feel a little more confident."  
"Yeah, the classes are great," I said, happy to get the topic back to something that felt more casual. "I'm learning a lot and so is Olivia. Mei had a lot of fun yesterday. She said that she wants to continue learning about self defense when she goes back to Hong Kong."  
To my surprise he gave a little laugh. "Well I certainly believe that everyone woman should be able to defend herself, but I can't help but think that Mei is dangerous enough already."

"That guy didn't seem so bad," I said. We'd just climbed into the limo after Mei's last marriage meeting of the day. "At least he wasn't old and he didn't look really violent or anything."  
Mei made a face. "You did not talk to him. He is a very dangerous man. The sort of man who would smile at you and then slice your throat."  
"Oh." I looked at her. She was talking about murder as if it were nothing at all. Maybe to her it was a regular thing. There was no telling what it was like being raised in the heart of a Triad. She was always so bubbly and excited, but if anyone knew that could be meaningless, it was me. Was she doing the same thing that I did? Pushing difficult thoughts and feelings to the side, hiding from them in a buzz of happiness or the oblivion of sex? "I guess he's off your list?"  
"Probably," she said. "It will be sad if he is the best Japan has to offer. But we should not think about that right now. We are going to have a very special day."  
"Yeah, you must be so excited to go to the fashionable shops in Ginza. Maybe you'll get inspired. Just think, you could have your own shop there one day," I said.  
"No, today is not for fashion design. Today we will get our hair and nails done and buy you a pretty dress. We will go to the Pumped 4.2 concert tonight. I told Soryu to get us tickets," she said with a bright smile.  
"What? Are you kidding me?" I felt excitement and happiness flood through me. I looked to Soryu for confirmation and he gave me a little nod. "This is incredible! I haven't been to one of their concerts in forever. I always end up having to work instead. Thank you so much!"  
"We will have so much fun," Mei said. "I have never been to a concert before. We should make the very best of things and have as much fun as possible."

Our tickets were third row, center. I had no idea how Soryu had managed to get them, or what exorbitant price he'd paid. And it wasn't just tickets for Mei and I. There were two guards sitting next to Mei and Soryu and another man sat next to me. The men definitely looked out of place in a Pumped 4.2 concert.  
During the performance, I purposefully ignored Soryu's presence and focused on Mei and the men on the stage. Their singing and dancing were perfect, as usual. Mei and I had so much fun, yelling and cheering and waving glow sticks, acting as silly as we possibly could.  
When the concert was over, Mei pulled out backstage passes and I thought I was going to faint with joy. We hurried to the backstage entrance, followed by our guards. There was a reception room set up for pass holders. There was food and drinks and Pumped 4.2's latest album was playing. According to the staff, the members of the band would be coming out for a meet and greet just as soon as they had cleaned up and changed their clothes.  
"I can't believe this," I said to Mei. "This is like the best gift I've ever received. I'm going to remember this night forever."  
"It is so funny that you are obsessed with these singers, but they did sing very well," Mei said.  
We were threading our way through the other people who were waiting to meet the members of the group. Mei seemed to be full of nervous energy, it was like she couldn't stand still. Maybe the concert had been too much excitement for her. I studied the other people in the crowd while Mei held my hand and drug me around the room. They were mostly young women and teenage girls and everyone seemed just as excited as I was about the chance to actually meet the members of the band and get their autographs.  
I couldn't help but notice that some of the fans were checking out Soryu. He'd stationed himself next to the main entrance and was standing with his arms crossed and his usual cold expression on his face.  
"Do you see that guy over by the door in the suit? What a hottie! I'm going to go talk to him."  
I felt my mouth drop open as I heard a random woman say those words. _She was going to go talk to Soryu?_ I looked over my shoulder at her as Mei continued to pull on my hand. She was tall and beautiful, and, _of course_, she was wearing expensive clothes and jewelry. Pretty much anyone in the room had to have tons of money, it must cost a fortune to pay for a backstage meet and greet. _What would Soryu do? Would he talk to her? Would he accept her phone number or maybe even make a date?_  
I tried to keep track of her through the sea of young women as she made her way towards him and Mei pulled me endlessly in the other direction. Suddenly there was a _ker-chak_ sound and a gust of night air, an alarm sounded _beep-beep-beep_, and Mei tugged my hand hard.  
I stumbled forward, looking up at Mei and then back at the gray metal door that closed behind us. "Mei?" I asked in confusion. She'd pulled us through an emergency exit and into an alley.  
"_Run!_" she commanded and gave my hand a hard yank as she took off down the alley.


	5. Runaway

"Run!" Mei shouted and yanked my hand. I followed her instinctively, my feet moving quickly while my brain tried to catch up.  
There was a crowd of girls in the alley, waiting for a chance to see Pumped 4.2 if they exited from one of the rear doors. They'd all rushed towards us when we suddenly popped out of the emergency exit and then turned away in disappointment when they realized we were no one important.  
Mei pushed through them, clearing a path for us with more agility than I ever would have thought her capable of. As we reached the end of the alley and met the sidewalk, my brain finally caught up. "What are you doing?" I asked Mei as she hesitated for just a moment before she turned right and began running again.  
"Mei! Stop!" I shouted this time and pulled back on her hand. To my horror, she started to let me go. She was going to run off by herself and leave me behind if I wasn't willing to keep up. Speeding up, I tightened my grip on her hand. There was no way that I could let her get away. What would she do all by herself in Tokyo? Standing out like a sore thumb in a bright red cheongsam?  
The sidewalks were even more crowded than normal because of the recent concert. Mei wove through the crush of bodies as if her life depended on it, pulling me along behind her. The light at the crosswalk started flashing the _walk_ symbol just before we reached the corner. We crossed the street and dashed down another block. At the next corner the lights flashed _don't walk_ and Mei stopped as she tried to decide which way to go.  
"_Mei_," I gasped behind her, tugging on her hand. "I have asthma. I can't run like this forever."  
She turned to look at me just as a pair of arms encircled her and pulled her into the chest of a large man wearing a black suit and sunglasses. Mei immediately began screaming and kicking her legs. I froze and stared in complete shock for a moment before remembering my self defense lessons and going straight for his knees - his eyes would have been the best target but I couldn't get to them because Mei was in the way. I kicked and stomped down on the knee that was closest to me.  
The man responded by swinging Mei's legs at me as if she were a weapon. I jumped away and dodged, looking for an opportunity to kick him again. At the same time people on the sidewalk were taking notice of us. Voices were shouting and a few men came over to help us. "Hey, what are you doing?" a tall man asked and grabbed our attacker from behind by his suit jacket. "Let that girl go!"  
"Fuck!" the man yelled and looked at the line of traffic on the road. Was he looking for an accomplice? Someone in a car? There was no way that I could let this guy put Mei in a car. I stepped forward and renewed my efforts at kicking him in the knee. He was just way too big and burly. It felt like my foot was just bouncing off of him.  
Finally, the attacker got tired of the man who had continued to pull at his suit and loudly demand that he "let go of the girl". Tucking Mei under his arm, he turned to confront the man and a few others who had stepped up to help. I saw my opening and took it, throwing everything that I had into a kick that landed square between the attacker's legs. With a roar of pain, he dropped Mei and doubled over.  
I didn't wait to see what he did next. Grabbing Mei's hand and pulling her up off the sidewalk, I took off running back the way we had come. After we'd run past a few shops, I spotted a restaurant. Risking a quick look behind me, all that I could see was the milling crowd. If we were lucky our attacker had been detained by the other men. As far as I could tell, he wouldn't see us if we went inside the restaurant.  
I hurried Mei inside and back to the women's restroom, where I locked the door and pulled out my phone to call Soryu.  
"Where are you?" he demanded, not bothering to say hello.  
"I don't know. In a ramen restaurant. Some guy tried to kidnap Mei. We're hiding in the restroom. _Soryu, help us_," the words poured out of me. My heart was racing. What if the man had followed us? What if he found us in the restroom?  
"I've got your location on my phone. I'm already on my way. It helps to know which one of these shops you're in," he said, his voice grim.  
I turned to look at Mei. She was crouched on the floor, crying. "Soryu's coming to get us," I said. "We're going to be alright."  
I watched her nod in response as I dug my inhaler out of my purse with my free hand. Soryu's breathing and the distant sound of people on the sidewalk filled my ear. I wondered how far away he was as I took a couple of puffs from my inhaler.  
"Are you okay?" he asked. When I answered with a "yes", he said, "I can see the restaurant now."  
He was coming. He was close enough that even if the man in the sunglasses found us, Soryu would be able to protect us. I felt as if my bones were melting with relief and tears pricked at my eyes. "He's almost here," I said to Mei. "He's coming to get us."  
To my surprise, she stood up and quickly began wiping the tears from her eyes. I watched as she straightened her shoulders and her back. "I'm sorry, Sakiko," she said, looking me in the eye. At that moment she really seemed like a princess. Regal and commanding. "I made a big mistake. I put both of us in danger."  
"We're going to be okay," I repeated. "Everything worked out just fine."  
"I'm in the restaurant now," Soryu said. "I'm going to let you go while I talk to the manager."  
I put my phone away and turned to Mei. She was standing straight and staring at the door, waiting for Soryu. He'd rescue us, but he was also going to be very angry. I could see that she was getting ready to defend herself.  
"It really is going to be okay," I said yet again. I didn't know what else to say. Now that she was no longer crying, anger was bubbling up inside of me.  
"I will not go back to Hong Kong. I'm not ready to leave Japan," she said. "I just wanted to be truly free for a few hours. I wanted to know what it was like to walk without a guard. I thought that I would be safe. I thought the security here was too much and not necessary. I just want to feel what it is like to be a normal woman."  
"Then let's make it our goal to do our best to get him to let you stay. You're talking about Soryu, right? And maybe your father, too? Let's just do our best and see what happens." I smiled at her to distract her and then turned to face the door. At this point, I had no real interest in whether she stayed or went back to Hong Kong. I just didn't want to deal with her complaining about the consequences of her own actions.  
Soryu was knocking and saying, "Sakiko, it's me."  
When I opened the door, he stepped inside and closed the door, locking it behind him. His eyes scanned over both of us and when he saw that we were unharmed he said, "They're pulling around a car to pick us up in the alley. It shouldn't take long."  
After that no one spoke, but I could feel the anger pouring off of Soryu. He seemed huge in the small room. There was no doubt that he was furious with us.

A black car picked us up in the alley, not the limo. It must have been the car the other guards had been using. Soryu got into the back seat with Mei and I and immediately demanded an explanation of what had happened.  
"It is my fault," Mei said, her voice controlled. "Sakiko had no idea what I was planning. I pulled her along when I jumped out the door."  
I watched Soryu's face as she told him the rest of the story. He was filled with a cold rage and she was holding onto her dignity and a haughtiness that made me want to slap her, apologizing and saying that she had been wrong, without demeaning herself in any way.  
"Do you think you can identify the man?" Soryu asked, turning his attention to me.  
"He was big and bald. He was wearing sunglasses," I said. "That's all I know."  
"I refuse to return to Hong Kong," Mei announced. "I am not going to try to run away again. There is no reason to make me leave early."  
"We'll devise a plan and you'll do as you're told," Soryu said. I'd never seen him speak to her so coldly. It seemed that even Mei knew that it was useless to argue against him. She turned to stare out the window with a pout.  
"You did a good job," Soryu said, his voice quieter as he spoke to me. I looked up to meet his eyes. "You stayed with her, you got her away from the kidnapper, you locked yourself in the restroom. You made very good decisions."  
"Thank you," I said and turned to stare ahead. He was too close, his body pressed against my side in the close confines of the car. My heart was already tired from running and dealing with Mei's attacker. I couldn't deal with Soryu being so nice to me. I wanted him to pull me into his arms. I wanted him to make me forget how afraid I had been when the man had snatched Mei, how scary it had been to stand in the restroom and worry that he would come and bust down the door.  
I counted everything that I could think of, cars, taillights, headlights, and traffic lights as we made our way back to the hotel. Anything to distract myself from him.

"Hey!" Baba yelled. "You ladies can come down now!"  
We'd been sent up to the second floor living room while "The Men" had decided Mei's fate downstairs. Being excluded from the meeting had really pissed me off, but it had sent Mei into a rage. She'd even thrown a tantrum and broken a lamp. I'd had to lure her onto the couch for a makeout session to distract her from her anger.  
It had worked for Mei but, for the first time in my life, it hadn't worked for me. I kissed her and a touched her and I even let her put her hand up my dress and play with my clit, but my body remained turned off. As much as I'd had to fight my attraction to Soryu in the car, now that we were in the penthouse all that I could think about was what the men could be saying downstairs.  
Inexplicably, I was also still waiting for the hammer to fall. I'd explained my side of the story to Eisuke and Soryu when we first arrived at the penthouse. I hadn't been a part of the plan to run away, I'd protected Mei and gotten us both to safety and Eisuke had told me that I'd done a good job just as Soryu had done. But I still felt like I had done something wrong. I couldn't escape the feeling that I was going to be punished, even though logically I knew that no punishment was coming. On the contrary, they'd even said they were going to give me a bonus.  
Mei pushed away from me when we heard Baba calling us and gave me an arrogant smirk. "We'll finish this later."  
She'd had her fingers in my cunt and she hadn't even noticed that I wasn't into it? I shook my head at myself as I followed her down the stairs. I was in a bad mood. Normally that would have had me itching to fuck Mei and forget my feelings, but for some reason all that I wanted to do was go to sleep.

"This is the plan," Soryu explained after Mei and I joined the men. "The two of you are the same height and you look similar enough to fool anyone who doesn't know you. Sakiko, you'll wear Mei's cheongsam and pose as Mei from here on out. That includes going to the matchmaking meetings."  
"But-" I interrupted, shaking my head. "But won't that mess up the matchmaking? How is Mei supposed to find a husband if I'm the one going to the meetings?"  
"I do not really want to get married. So, this plan is good for me," Mei said.  
"You've got a lot of opinions about the men from the meetings, Sakiko. We'll just think of this as an opportunity for you to weed out the candidates that don't meet your standards. Mei can meet the ones that you approve of," Soryu said.  
I frowned at him, but before I could argue Mei said, "Yes, go to the meetings for me. You can let me know if there is a decent choice. We should have thought of this from the beginning. But Sakiko cannot wear my cheongsam. Her boobs are too big."  
"Is that right?" Soryu said. He pulled out his phone and stepped away.  
Eisuke was smirking at me because Mei had made a comment about my breasts. I glared at him angrily.  
Baba took over where Soryu had left off. "Sakiko, you're going to stay at Soryu's townhouse, wearing Mei's dresses...or dresses like Mei's. Anyone watching you will think you're Mei. Hopefully, this will draw the kidnapper out and we'll be able to figure out who's targeting Mei and why," he explained. "Mei, you'll stay in the penthouse and wear Sakiko's clothes."  
"So, I'll be used as a lure," I said, not particularly happy about it. Maybe this was the punishment that I'd been anticipating.  
"What?! If I am Sakiko then I can go _anywhere_," Mei crowed. "And I will not have to go to meetings. I can explore Japan all day!"  
"Yeah," Baba agreed. "Ota and I can take you sightseeing."  
"Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I am so happy now," Mei squealed. "Where will we go first? Can we go to an amusement park?"  
While Mei talked about fun, Soryu came back into the room and walked over to me. "You know that you'll be staying with me?" he asked. When I nodded, he said, "Daichi Yamashita is on his way. He's going to measure you and make the dresses that you'll need. Would it be possible…" His hand gestured nervously, giving away for just a moment the fact that he was embarrassed. "Could you wear Mei's dress and just not close it up in the front? You could wear a jacket over top of it? If someone's watching, we need them to see you leaving the hotel and think you're Mei."  
"Yeah, that's fine," I said. "I can do that."

"Are you okay?" Soryu asked. It was just the two of us in some expensive car.  
"Yeah. Just fine," I replied.  
After a few moments, he said, "You don't seem fine. You aren't your usual self. It's like you've lost all your energy. I know that the kidnapping attempt had to have been traumatic."  
"It _was_ really scary and Mei…" I felt my throat tightening. It was like my body was telling me to stop talking. I never talked about my feelings, but for some reason the words were escaping whether I wanted them to or not. "I _know_ that I'm just an employee. Mei and I aren't actually friends, but that was a really low thing to do, making me run away with her like that. She didn't think about me getting in trouble or losing my job. And I know that I shouldn't expect that. I _know _she's a spoiled princess, but I really don't like being used like that. Like I don't matter at all."  
As the words came out of my mouth, my mind made the connection. This was because of my parents, because they'd never treated me like I mattered. To them I'd always been something to be used, abused or ignored. Their own feelings and desires had been what mattered, mine hadn't existed at all. Mei had treated me just like they always had. Having fun with me and then using me just because it suited her.  
And that's why I was expecting a punishment. Because I'd done something wrong, even if it wasn't my choice or my fault. Growing up I would have been punished by my father no matter if I was innocent or not. It made me feel sick inside. I covered my face and bent forward. I knew that I was fucked up. I knew that having sex with people to hide from my feelings and my memories wasn't fixing anything that was broken inside of me. But I'd still thought that I'd left some of that stuff behind. I'd thought that I'd outgrown it or moved past it.  
'_I haven't seen my parents in years and I never have to see them again,_' I reminded myself. I wasn't going to be punished. I'd done well. I'd saved the princess. I was going to be rewarded. I was no longer a child. I was no longer the victim of my parents' whims.  
Yes, Mei had used me, but I'd never really expected anything else. And I was leaving her behind, just as I'd left my parents. I was sure to see her again, but I was no longer her companion. I had a new job and I would do it well, just as I had always done.  
I sat up straight and concentrated on building up the feelings of determination inside of me. All that I had to do was focus on succeeding. I'd been given a new task. I would pretend to be Mei and show Soryu and Eisuke that I was an important member of the network. I would make sure that my position was secure. That was the most important thing.  
I would work to increase my security. I would keep myself safe. Mei had endangered that when she had tried to run away, just because she had selfishly wanted to go somewhere without a few men in the background watching her. There was no telling what would have happened to me if the man had succeeded in taking her. Without Mei there to confirm my innocence, Soryu and Eisuke might not have believed me. I could have lost everything.  
With a sigh, I pushed the thought away. The worst hadn't happened. I was still in good standing with the network, even better standing since I'd dealt well with the problem. I didn't need to worry about the past, I needed to focus on the future.  
"You know," Soryu said. "We have a therapist in the network. You're welcome to talk to her about what happened tonight or anything else."  
"I'm not going to talk to a therapist," I said. "I already know that I'm a little crazy. I don't need anyone to confirm it."

Soryu's townhouse was enormous. I stared up at it in surprise as he pushed a button that opened a garage door. The garage door lead down into an underground parking garage that housed a dozen cars. I'd figured that Soryu was probably rich because he always hung out with Eisuke and wore suits, but a place like this in the city had to have cost a fortune.  
I followed him upstairs to a large living room where two men stood up as soon as they saw us.  
The older man looked to be in his early forties. He had a scar over his eye and a bit of gray in his hair. He gave Soryu a serious look and a nod as we stepped into the room. "I've taken care of everything, Boss," he said. "The room is ready."  
"_Mei_," Soryu said, "This is Kyoichiro Okawa. If you need anything in the house, he's the one to talk to."  
The other guy was younger, maybe twenty-four. He had a huge smile on his face and was bouncing a little with excitement. Soryu nodded at him and said, "This is Ryosuke Inui. Guys, this is Mei Ling Lee. Let's do our best to protect her while she's staying with us."  
While Kyoichiro gave me a polite nod, the younger man stepped forward to shake my hand with a look of wonder on his face. "I've never met a real princess before. This is the best day of my life."  
"It's nice to meet you, Ryosuke," I said, trying to look regal since he obviously thought a Triad princess was just as good as an actual one.  
"Everyone calls me Inui. You can too. I'm going to do my best to protect you, Princess Mei," he said and bowed with a flourish.  
Beside me I heard Soryu make a soft scoffing sound and he said, "Kyoichiro, take Mei to her room. She needs to change."  
I'd packed my underclothes and a few things into one of Mei's expensive suitcases. Soryu handed the case to Kyoichiro and I followed him upstairs where he opened a door to a bedroom and showed me inside. "I stocked the bathroom with soaps and things," he said. "Just let me know if you need anything else. And, if you don't mind my asking, can you cook?"  
"Yeah," I said. "I can cook."  
"Do you think you can make something for us? We're pretty hungry and the boss looked hungry, too. He gets cranky when he hasn't eaten," Kyoichiro explained. "None of us really know how to cook."  
"No problem," I said with a smile. "I like to cook. Just give me a little time to change my clothes."

After changing into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, I followed the directions that Kyoichiro had given me to the kitchen. It was big and fancy, just the sort of thing you'd expect from a such a huge house. Kyoichiro and Inui were sitting on tall stools at the kitchen island. They must have been waiting for me.  
"How many people live here?" I asked as I washed my hands.  
"Six of us, plus the boss," Kyoichiro answered. "But you only need to prepare food for four people and yourself right now. I already made rice, it's in the rice pot."  
"That's great," I said and went over to open the freezer. It was empty. When I opened the refrigerator I discovered that it was full of side dishes and a large box of six dozens eggs. "This is all there is? Eggs and side dishes?"  
"If you tell me what you want, I can stock the fridge and freezer for next time," Kyoichiro said.  
"Well, okay. I guess for now I'll make omurice," I said, setting the box of eggs on the counter. "There isn't any chicken, but I can fry the rice with some kimchi. Do you think that will be okay?"  
"Yeah, that will be great because the boss loves eggs, Princess Mei," Inui said with an enthusiastic smile. "If you make eggs for every meal, he'll be so happy. But is it really okay for a princess to cook?"  
I shot a quick glance at Kyoichiro who raised an eyebrow, silently challenging me to answer Inui's question. "It's fine for me to prepare dinner. I learned to cook in school," I assured him.  
"You did?" he asked, his voice full of surprise and his eyes wide. "I didn't even know there was a school for princesses."  
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at his naivety. "Yeah, it was a boarding school in Switzerland," I explained. Mei had told me all about the school where she'd majored in foreign languages and licking carpet.  
Inui's eyes glazed over, he seemed to be daydreaming about a school full of princesses. I looked at Kyoichiro and raised my eyebrows.  
"Let me help you crack those eggs," he said and reached for the box and a large bowl. "Inui, why don't you tell the princess how you joined the Ice Dragons."  
"Okay," Inui replied, glancing at me to make sure I was interested. "I ran away from home right after I took my college entrance exams. I knew that I'd really messed them up. My old man would've definitely killed me once the scores came in, so I just left."  
"Oh, that's terrible," I said as I started frying the rice. "Did you have a place to go?"  
"No, but I got a job at a restaurant pretty quick and found some roommates," he explained. "It wasn't so bad, but then these guys from the Rat Snakes started bothering me. They were trying to get me to work at their host bar and they just wouldn't take no for an answer."  
"It was even worse stuff than just a host bar," Kyoichiro interjected. "The Snakes do a lot of porn videos."  
"Hey!" Inui cried. "Don't tell the princess that! Princesses don't know anything about things like that. And don't worry, Princess. I told them no, that's why they kept bothering me."  
"Okay, Inui. I understand," I said with a smile. This guy was so cute. He may have been my age, but it was like he hadn't matured a bit since he ran away from home.  
"Anyway, one night after work the Snakes were really bothering me and they chased me into this alley. They had me all by myself and they were starting to get violent, hitting me and shoving me and stuff. And then," Inui said, his entire face lighting up, "a door opened and the Boss stepped out. He was so much taller than all of the Snakes. He pulled out a gun and said, '_No one bothers innocent people when I'm around. You punks had better get out of here before I fill you full of holes. And never bother this young man again_.' He was just like a hero in a movie."  
"What?" I asked, cracking up laughing. "_Soryu_ said that?"  
"He's exaggerating," Kyoichiro said, ignoring Inui when he let out a huff. "But the Boss did save him. He brought him back to headquarters and we've been trying to turn him into a Dragon ever since."  
"I _am_ an Ice Dragon," Inui said grumpily. "The Boss already said that I'm one of the guys assigned to guarding Princess Mei tomorrow."  
"I don't know if that's such a good thing, Inui," I said, setting the fried rice aside to start working on the omelets. "Standing around waiting for those meetings to be over can be pretty boring."  
"No way, Princess Mei," Inui cried. "It's my job to protect you. The Boss said that you are in real danger and someone is trying to kidnap you. I'll be totally vigilant the whole time."  
"You make sure you do that," Kyoichiro said, his voice serious, "or we'll trade you to the Rat Snakes. I hear they just got in a big shipment of black market bourbon."

"This looks great," Kyoichiro said. The two of us had just finished setting the table. Inui had gone to find Soryu and someone named Yuuto. "See this?" he asked, tapping two fingers on the table. "If the Boss does that, it means he liked your food. It means thank you in Hong Kong."  
"Thanks for letting me know," I replied and looked over in time to see Soryu and Inui coming into the dining room. Soryu's face was as serious as usual. I'd thought he might relax at home, especially with his men around him, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.  
"Thank you for cooking, Mei," he said as we all sat down at the table.  
It felt strange being called Mei, especially since I was so angry with her. It was something that I was going to have to get used to. After we'd taken a few bites, another man hurried into the room and sat down at the other place setting.  
"You must be Mei," he said with a sexy smile. He was probably in his later twenties and he was obviously well aware of the fact that he was _very_ good looking. He took a bite of his omurice and then winked at me before saying, "This is awesome. We never get a good home cooked meal around here. Thanks for making this."  
While Kyoichiro, Inui and Yuuto devoured their rice, I wondered about my lack of response to Yuuto's mild flirting. Normally, I would have been tingling with excitement and flirting back, wondering about how easy it would be to hook up since we were living in the same house. But instead of feeling excited, I just felt numb and tired. Maybe Mei's betrayal and the kidnapping attempt had been more traumatic than I thought.  
"Thank you, Mei. That was great. Don't worry about the dishes, we'll do them later."  
I looked up from my plate to see that the three Dragons had finished their food and were headed out the door at a near run. "What was that about?" I asked Soryu. "Were they that hungry? Maybe I should have made more food."  
"There's a soccer game," he replied and took another bite of his omurice. He was eating at a normal pace and hadn't yet finished half of his food.  
"Oh, you're not interested in soccer?" I asked.  
"I like soccer, but not enough to rush through this meal. Kyoichiro usually makes nearly burnt scrambled eggs. It amazes me that someone can do something over and over again and still manage to fuck it up every time. Not that I can cook myself, but you'd think he'd have learned something by now," he said.  
We ate silently for a couple of minutes and then a thought occurred to me. "Why didn't you just send Mei back to Hong Kong? Wouldn't that have been the easiest thing to do?" I asked, watching his face.  
He grimaced and looked up from his plate to answer me. "If I did that, then the objective would have failed. We need to strengthen ties between the Ice Dragons and the Bell Crickets. It's worth much more trouble than this to do that."  
An idea popped into my head that made me lose my appetite. I pushed my plate away. "Why… Couldn't you just marry Mei yourself? Wouldn't that be the best way to meet your objective?"  
"I don't have any intention of getting married," he said with a grimace. "And I certainly wouldn't marry Mei. It wouldn't matter _what_ the advantages were."  
For some reason his answer made me feel very happy. I looked down to hide the smile that spread across my face. I was glad that he wouldn't marry Mei. She didn't deserve him. She was too immature and bratty for a serious and strong man like Soryu.  
"If you're finished, are you ready to go upstairs? I'm sure you must be tired."  
I looked up in time to see him tap two fingers next to his plate. I felt satisfaction spread through me. He'd liked the food that I made. Inui had said that eggs made Soryu happy. So, even if he wasn't saying it, I'd made him happy. I bit my lip to hide another smile. "Yeah," I said. "I'm ready to go to bed."  
We walked upstairs together. It turned out that Soryu's bedroom was just a couple of doors down from mine.  
"Will you make breakfast in the morning?" he asked, pausing outside his door.  
"Yeah, of course I will," I said. "If I don't we'll all have to eat Kyoichiro's burnt eggs."  
He rewarded me with a little smile and said, "Thanks. Let's have breakfast at eight then. The first matchmaking meeting is at nine thirty."  
We exchanged goodnights and I went to my room. I didn't ask him to take me into his room and fuck me. Even though I wanted to.


	6. Temptation, Eggs and a Meeting

The next morning I was chopping onions for omelets when I heard someone come into the kitchen. I looked up and felt my heart stop the moment I saw Soryu standing in the doorway. He was fresh out of the shower, his dark eyes gazing out from the locks of damp hair that fell into his face. That was enough, seeing his face vulnerable and relaxed was enough to take my breath away, but there was more. He was only wearing a pair of track pants, leaving his chest bare. It was broad, hard, his pecs and abs very well defined.  
I couldn't breathe. The muscles in my lower abdomen twisted and clenched painfully and my hips jerked forward of their own accord. It felt as if my uterus was trying to jump out of my body and attack him. I grabbed the edge of the counter and held on tight to stop myself from falling down, to stop myself from going to him and touching him, to tether myself to reality. We were in the kitchen. I was making breakfast. I couldn't touch him. He didn't want me.  
"Good morning, Mei. Have you seen Kyoichiro?" His voice was as cool and professional as usual.  
That's right. He was my boss. Even if we were in his house, even if he was half-naked, I was still at work. I was still pretending to be Mei. I drug in a breath and said, "He just went that way," flicking my hand to indicate the doorway opposite the one Soryu stood in.  
"Thanks. Daichi is on his way to deliver your dress. Just one this morning, but they'll be making more today. Don't answer the door, someone else will do that," he said as he crossed the room. My eyes drank in the sight of his back, smooth and strong. He was absolutely oblivious to the fact that he was decimating my mind, soul and vag just by walking through the room.  
As soon as he disappeared I dropped into a crouch, hugging my legs to my chest and pressing my forehead into my knees. This was completely unacceptable. I needed to get control of my body or I'd never survive, and Soryu needed to stop parading _his_ body all over the place. I rubbed my eyes against my knees as if I could erase the image of him from my mind.  
'_I cannot handle this,_' I thought. Was this going to be a normal occurrence? Was he going to be prancing around partially clothed on a regular basis? _Good God, what if he makes a habit of walking around in only a towel?_ My body gave another twist deep inside as an image of him wrapped in a tiny towel and dripping with water popped into my mind. _No_. There was no way that I would be able to handle that. His men would have to wrestle me off of him and toss me out on the streets.  
Maybe I should ask him to make sure that he was always fully clothed. I could pretend to be shy and easily embarrassed. _Yeah right_. I'd shown him pornographic pictures of myself and told him that I was down to fuck. I'd titty spanked Mei on Eisuke's couch. There was no way that anyone was going to believe that I was innocent and demure and couldn't take the sight of a man's bare chest. There was no stopping him. He was going to be skipping around the house naked and I was going to be lying in a corner having an arousal-induced seizure.  
It wasn't fair. _That damned man_. I'd _told_ him that I wanted to fuck him. He _knew_ I wanted him. What did he think he was doing flaunting himself in front of me like that? Was he torturing me on purpose? There was no telling what was going on behind that granite wall that he put up. He could be secretly laughing at me right now and plotting which towel he'd walk around in later tonight. _The bastard_. Did he think I was made of stone?  
Having succeeded in turning my distress into anger, I stood up to get back to work just as Inui stepped into the room.  
"Good morning, Princess Mei," he said with a cheerful smile. "Can I help you with anything?"  
"Yeah, you can start cracking those eggs," I said, nodding towards the eggs as I finished chopping the onions. "How are you this morning?"  
"I'm fantastic. I'm ready to do a great job guarding you," he said. "What are you making for breakfast?"  
"Cheese and onion omelettes. There's also rice, natto, miso soup and whatever side dishes Kyoichiro bought," I said, grabbing a couple of frying pans and setting them on the stove. I had already decided that it was my goal to get another two-finger tap from Soryu for this morning's meal. Now, I felt a growing determination to kill him with amazing food. I wasn't some great chef, but I could cook and follow a recipe. And the competition was beyond weak, it would take next to nothing to do better than burnt scrambled eggs.  
I was going to spend my free time during the day looking up recipes with eggs. I was going to ply him with amazing meals so that when I left the townhouse he'd at least miss me for my cooking. I'd have him wondering about and looking forward to every meal, addicted to my delicious dishes. I sighed with satisfaction at the thought of him enjoying the food that I prepared. He'd just better come to the table with all of his clothes on.

The first bachelor of the day, looked to be in his mid-thirties. If he was on a sidewalk, he would have looked like any other salaryman in a suit and tie. He had a nice smile and gave me a polite greeting, but I remembered what Mei had said about the other guy who had seemed decent. '_The sort of man who would smile at you and then slice your throat_.' I was planning on watching this guy like a hawk to see what he would let slip.  
"How do you like Japan so far?" he asked. His eyes showed that he was politely curious. He was interested in this meeting going well.  
"I love it," I said, channeling Mei. "I'm able to walk around and go in shops. It isn't as dangerous for me here as it is in Hong Kong."  
"I suppose that would change if you moved here permanently," he said with a little frown, turning Mei's situation over in his head. "What sorts of places have you been visiting?"  
"I've been to Harajuku and Ginza, so far," I replied.  
"You must be interested in fashion and shopping, then," he said.  
"That's right. I like to design clothes. My father says that if I get married, he will buy me a shop to sell my clothes in," I said, watching for his reaction.  
His eyes narrowed a bit as if he didn't like what I'd told him, but then he said, "I'm sure that if I were your husband, I'd buy you a shop myself. You wouldn't need your father to do it."  
"That's nice of you," I said and decided to start playing hardball. "What sort of marriage are you looking for?"  
His eyebrows gave a little jump of surprise before he answered. "The normal type, I suppose. Someone to share my life with, a wife to greet me when I come home from a hard day of work. Someone to spend my free time with. What sort of marriage are _you_ looking for?"  
"An open one," I said. "I'd like a husband who was okay with me sleeping with whoever I want to."  
"How would that work?" he asked. I'd certainly shocked him. I was sure I'd shocked Soryu, too. He was sitting on a loveseat to my right but I wasn't going to turn and meet his eyes. I was sure they'd be blazing. "A marriage is supposed to be built on trust and monogamy."  
His eyes gave the tiniest flinch as he finished speaking. The damned liar. I went in for the kill. "But the monogamy is just for the woman, isn't it? The man is free to sleep around and keep a mistress, while his trusty wife stays at home. Isn't that right?"  
"That's not…" He was flustered and didn't know how to answer me. He wanted to lie, but I obviously wasn't going to believe him.  
I stood up and smiled down at him. "I hope you find the woman that you're looking for and I hope she's happy with you."

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Soryu demanded as soon as we were in the limo.  
"I'm trying to find the right husband for Mei," I answered, keeping my cool because I knew it would piss him off even more.  
"You aren't going to do it like that. None of these men are looking for an '_open marriage_'," he growled.  
"It doesn't make any sense for Mei to tie herself to someone who she's going to be unhappy with. This is protecting the men, too. You know how Mei is, you know her much better than I do. Mei and that man would have been miserable together," I explained.  
"No man is looking for a woman who wants an open relationship. No man is going to agree to that. We're wasting our time with these meetings if this is how you're going to behave," he said.  
"We're wasting our time with these meetings because Mei doesn't want to get married in the first place. But if I _can_ find a man who will agree to an open marriage, Mei would probably consider marrying him. If she doesn't, she'll be forced to marry the wrong man and ruin her life," I said. "Rich men have affairs and mistresses all the time. Why is it such a big deal that Mei wants the same thing?"  
"Are you getting that information from _television?_" he asked.  
"So what if I am? It's still _true_," I argued.  
To my surprise he started laughing. I blinked at him in shock. I'd never seen him laugh before, I'd barely seen him smile. The sound was rich and deep. It was _too nice_. It made my chest hurt.  
"You're right," he said, a smile still lingering on his lips. "Who am I to argue? I told you that my father left behind multiple mistresses when he died, and he had children with all of them."  
"_See_," I said. His laughter had made me feel light and floaty. I couldn't help but smile. Our conversation was turning from stiff and serious to light and easy. It felt great. "Even you agree that it isn't right. We just have to find one man who can see our point of view. It might not be impossible. These guys are criminals after all. They're used to breaking the rules."  
"Don't count me in on your side," Soryu said. "And these men may be criminals, but that tends to mean that their views about women are _more _conservative not less. I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for."  
"But it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe I'll get lucky and find Mei's perfect match," I said with a smile. "Things are always easier when you have a goal. My goal is to figure out if one of these men will be a good husband for Mei. It may be unlikely, but I'm not going to approve any bachelor who doesn't meet my standards."  
He looked at me, his gray eyes were still twinkling with amusement. "Maybe I'll just order you to be a good girl in the meetings and that will be the end of your little game."  
_Okay. Dear God, why did he say 'order you to be a good girl'? _Now my mind was going to be replaying those words over and over again. He'd just planted a seed that would grow into a thousand fantasies. I almost groaned out loud.  
"You can order me to do whatever you want me to do,-" _Please, please order me_/ "- but I'm probably not going to find a match for Mei, and even if I did, she doesn't want to get married. So, why don't we have fun watching these guys squirm a little?"

After carefully sliding an enormous pan full of the ingredients for a steak and potato frittata into the oven, I got to work on prepping a salad. I was feeling happy. I'd had fun shocking the day's bachelors with my request for an open marriage and Soryu and I hadn't talked much, but whenever we did our conversation had been light and relaxed.  
It had felt good. I was surprised to find that I had enjoyed spending the day with Soryu more than I'd liked spending time with Mei. While Mei had been fun, I'd always felt at least a little stressed about keeping up with her and making sure that she was happy. With Soryu I could just chill and let things be, talk when there was something to say or enjoy the quiet when neither of us felt like talking. There'd been no reason to force anything.  
Inui and Yuuto came in and helped set the table while I finished the salad and sliced the frittata. When Inui and Yuuto carried the food into the dining room, I grabbed a few side dishes out of the fridge and followed them. After I put the containers on the table, I froze as Inui stepped closer to me.  
"What are you doing, Inui?" I snapped in surprise and looked at him angrily.  
"I'm sorry, Princess," he said, his voice shaking a little as his eyes scanned the table. "What did I do wrong? I'll fix it right away."  
"You're wearing cologne," I said. "I have asthma and scents really bother me. I didn't think I'd have to ask anyone here not to wear cologne. You must already know that it makes the Boss sick, so you shouldn't have it on at all."  
"I'm sorry," he said guiltily. "I got a free sample the other day and I thought I'd wear it because I'm going out drinking with some of the guys later. I thought maybe the Boss wouldn't notice."  
"It's ridiculous to try and see what you can get away with when it comes to someone else's allergies. You're well aware that the boss is sensitive to scents, so you shouldn't be fucking around," I lectured. "Go take a shower and change your clothes."  
"Yes, Princess Mei," Inui said, casting a sad glance at the food on the table before he left the room.  
"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one eats your food," I said.  
"Are you sure you don't want to give _me_ his portion?" Yuuto asked, throwing me a flirty smile. "I need to eat a lot of food to keep my stamina up."  
"No, you can't have his food," I said flatly, not responding to his flirting. "Now go call the other guys to the table for dinner."  
As I turned to go take my seat, I noticed Kyoichiro and Soryu standing in the doorway that led to the front of the townhouse.  
"Thanks for taking care of the Boss," Kyoichiro said as he stepped into the room and sighed. "Inui is always doing something stupid."  
"No problem," I said. "I know what it's like." I met Soryu's eyes and he gave me a little nod of acknowledgement. A _nod_. Not a sexy smile or a hot look. _Nothing special_. Yuuto had been actively trying to get my pulse racing and he'd left me cold. Soryu barely tipped his head at me and my blood was buzzing in my veins. It was ridiculous, but I was learning that it was no good trying to fight it. It was better just to give my body some time to calm down after Soryu made my heart jump or my mind spin off into fantasy land. Trying to control my feelings just didn't work. He was far too perfect and sexy for me to be able to train my body not to react to him. At this point it seemed better to just go with the flow.

I listened quietly as we ate dinner and the men around me talked about the Hashishita syndicate and how they were invading parts of a shopping district where the Ice Dragons claimed protection money.  
"It's almost time to strike back," Soryu said. "I'm letting them get complacent. If they think we aren't going to retaliate, they'll let their guard down."  
"Everyone knows that we're busy with the stuff in Osaka these days. Launching two attacks at the same time might be a good idea," Yuuto suggested.  
"I'm busy with this matchmaking stuff right now. I don't have the time for an attack," Soryu said. "And it would be a bad idea to draw revenge right now. We don't want anyone trying to attack the house while the princess is with us."  
"What are the chances that it's Hashishita trying to kidnap the princess," one of the men asked.  
"It's not impossible that it's them. Right now we have no idea who's trying to kidnap her, so it could be anyone. There's no reason to suspect Hashishita over any of the other groups," Soryu explained.  
"There was nothing suspicious today during Mei's meetings," Kyoichiro said. "We know these guys are out there. We know they're watching Mei and waiting for their chance, so everyone needs to be more vigilant. It isn't that they aren't there, it's that we aren't seeing them. The longer that goes on, the more likely it is that they're going to put hands on her."  
I shivered at his words. The other men at the table were nodding and talking about ways to spot spies and people hiding in plain sight. I looked up at Soryu. He gave me a reassuring smile and tapped two fingers on the table.  
I felt my heart lighten. I knew that I could trust Soryu to protect me. "I'm glad you liked it," I said. "Tomorrow I'll make something even better."

Two days later I stepped into yet another office to meet another bachelor. The office was a jumble of mismatched furniture and some old filing cabinets. Most of the other offices I'd been in had at least looked as if someone were trying to pretend like they'd been professionally decorated. This guy obviously wasn't interested in that. From the office it looked as if he were more interested in working than in appearances. After thinking about it for a minute or so, I decided to give him a few bonus point for this. It seemed to make him a little more real and honest than the men who were trying to look more important than they actually were.  
Soryu and I'd been sitting on a couch for a few minutes when the bachelor hurried in. He was in his early forties and wore a cheap shiny suit. It looked as if he was also wearing a toupee, his hair just seemed a little crooked. Soryu had told me that he'd barely made the cut to meet me. He owned some chop shops in the city and some other small businesses that were fronts for money laundering. Inui had said, "Yeah, this guy is small potatoes."  
He was also kind of shaped like a potato. He hurried over to me on his short chubby legs and took my hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Princess," he said, a little out of breath. "Something came up that I just had to take care of."  
He sat down across from me and smiled. Just as he was about to say something, Soryu's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. "I have to take this," he said to me. "Please excuse me."  
I turned to watch him walk out of the room. A moment later Inui stepped in and took up a post in the corner of the room. I turned back to the bachelor. "Will you tell me something about yourself?" I asked with a polite smile.  
To my surprise he was _very_ chatty. He started rambling nonstop about his hobbies which included golf, fishing, sake tasting and collecting swords. My eyes glazed over as he talked way too long about things that I had no interest in. By the time he said, "Now I'd like to hear all about you, Princess Mei," I'd begun to struggle against falling asleep.  
"I like horseback riding and fashion design," I said. "My father said that if I get married, he'll buy me a shop where I can sell my designs." This had become my first test for the bachelors. I'd learned that there were many ways that they could react.  
"That's a good idea. I'm sure your designs are great. You look like a smart and talented person," he said, which was pretty supportive. I decided to give him a point for his answer.  
"If you don't mind," I said. "May I ask what kind of marriage you're looking for?"  
"I'm looking for a pretty wife," he said. "Someone who can brighten up my home and my life. It's lonely living alone, even if I do have servants and my men around me. I want a pretty woman to spoil. I think you're very beautiful, Mei."  
"Ah, thank you," I said. He hadn't asked for what I wanted in a marriage, so I'd just have to volunteer the information. "I'm looking for an open marriage. I want to be able to have sex with whoever I want to have sex with. I don't want to be limited to my husband."  
"That's different," he said and stared at me as if he were trying to figure something out - not trying to figure out something about _me_, but trying to make some connection in his own head. "I've never heard of a marriage like that before, but for my beautiful Mei I can do anything. If that is the type of marriage that you're looking for, that is what I can give to you. We will have an open marriage."  
I blinked at him, stunned that someone had finally agreed to my request. But even if this guy was willing to give Mei an open marriage, there was no way that she'd marry him. Although, I guess I'd have to mention him to her. Maybe the most important thing was for her to marry someone who would let her do whatever she wanted to do, even if he was unattractive with an annoying personality. Was it better to marry someone that you felt some attraction for but continuously fought with, or someone you found a little repulsive but wouldn't stand in the way of your happiness?  
It was strange for me to contemplate the question. I hadn't even had a boyfriend since high school. I didn't think about relationships or marriage at all. They weren't something that I wanted in my life. Maybe I wasn't the most qualified person to narrow down Mei's choice of bachelors. At the very least, I was going to need to give her information about some of the men who seemed more promising.  
"Princess!"  
The voice broke into my reverie and I looked up, slightly confused, to see the bachelor smiling at me. "I think your mind wandered," he said. "I was telling you about my two dogs. I hope you like pets."  
"Oh…" I had no idea if Mei liked animals or not. She had mentioned that she wanted to go to the zoo and the aquarium. Did that count? "Of course I love pets. Who wouldn't love cute little animals."  
"Then next time you will have to meet my puppies," he said with a big smile. "This must be fate. I've fallen love with you at first sight, Princess. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."  
"Well then, we'll contact you if I want to see you again," I said, suddenly uncomfortable since he'd started spouting nonsense. I stood up and looked over at Inui and we started out of the room.  
In the hallway, the other guard was standing right outside the door and Soryu was standing a few yards away. He'd put on a bluetooth earpiece and was talking into it, holding his cellphone and swiping over the screen. He gave us a nod to acknowledge us and followed behind us, keeping his distance so that we couldn't overhear his conversation. When we got to the elevator, he motioned to indicate that he'd be taking the stairs. His phone wouldn't work in the elevator.  
The bachelor followed us the whole way, riding down in the elevator with us and tagging along out onto the sidewalk. He talked nonstop, asking if I wanted to go back to his office and have some more tea, or go to lunch, or meet for dinner later. When we reached the car and I continued to refuse to make more plans with him, he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back towards his building.  
"Stop it, let me go!" I said, trying to shake him off.  
"But Princess, I love you! I can't just let you walk away like this! You're my destiny and we need to be together," he said, his voice taking on a tinge of anger as he continued tugging at me.  
"Ouch! Fuck!" I cried as he reached to grab me with his other hand and ended up with a handful of my hair. My self defense lessons finally kicked in and I tried to target his knee, but I was bent into a weird position because he was yanking on my hair. I wouldn't be able to raise my foot to kick him without toppling over.  
"_Let her go. Now._"  
The bachelor's hands disappeared and I righted myself to see that Soryu had him by the collar. "The princess won't be back," Soryu said and gave the man a rough shake before pushing him in the direction of his office building. He pulled out the fob for the car and unlocked the doors. "Get in."  
It had been decided that we'd use a different car each day rather than always using the limo because being in the same vehicle made us easier to track. Today Soryu had driven us in a sleek black car. I sat in the front passenger seat while Inui climbed into the back and Soryu got behind the wheel. The other guard had left us to go get the other car from around the block as soon as we left the building.  
"Are you okay?" Soryu asked, looking at me instead of starting the car.  
"Yeah," I answered, rubbing at my head where the man had been pulling my hair. "I'll be fine."  
He watched me for a few seconds longer as if confirming my words and then turned to start the car. "What the fuck was that, Inui?"  
I turned around to look at Inui. I suddenly realized that he'd been there the whole time but hadn't done anything to help me. Looking back, I could hear his voice repeatedly telling the bachelor to stop and let me go.  
"I'm so sorry Boss and Princess Mei," Inui said, he sounded like he was about to cry. "I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know if it would be okay for me to get physical with a boss."  
"Your job was to protect Mei," Soryu said. "I don't fucking care who you have to get physical with, you do the job that I assigned to you."  
"Yes, Boss. I see now where I fucked up. It won't happen again," Inui said sadly.  
I remembered Kyoichiro talking about how often Inui messed up and how they'd been trying to turn him into an Ice Dragon for years. The apology that he gave to Soryu sounded like something he'd said many times before.  
"You're being reassigned," Soryu said. "The princess has a friend, she's also named Mei. She's staying at the Tres Spades. She doesn't need a lot of security. You'll go help with her starting tomorrow."  
"Okay," Inui replied, sounding defeated. "I'll do my best to protect your friend, Princess. I won't make another mistake."  
"Fuck it," Soryu said. "We're going to stop and get something to eat. I hate driving when I'm mad."

He pulled into the next free parking spot that he saw and we all got out of the car. As we stood on the sidewalk, Soryu called the other guard to let him know where we were. I smiled at Inui as Soryu spoke on the phone. "I understand what you mean," I said to Inui. "I'd be afraid to do something to a boss, too."  
"Thanks," he said, rubbing at his eyes. He looked _really_ upset. "See that?" he asked, gesturing across at a building. The sign in front of it said Three Lotus Inn. When I nodded, he said, "That was my grandma's inn. She's the one who raised me for most of my life. My dad only came back when I was sixteen. My grandma was really great. She did her best to take care of the inn and she always said that she was going to leave it to me, but when she died my dad ended up with it and he just sold it like it was nothing."  
"I bet you really miss her," I said. "She sounds like a great person."  
"She's the only person that ever loved me," he said sadly. "Someday I'm gonna get a room and stay at the inn, you know just to be near the place where we were always together. But whenever I have a chance to do it, it always seems too hard."  
"Come here," I said and pulled him in to give him a hug and then pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "You'll get there when it's time, Inui. There's no rush. Your grandmother knows that you love her."  
"Thanks," he said, turning away to wipe tears from his eyes.  
"Hey," Soryu said, coming over and putting his arm around Inui's shoulder. "I just saw your grandma's inn. I know it's been a tough day, but don't get too upset. There's a pasta restaurant just over here. Let's go eat."  
Inside the restaurant, Inui went to the restroom and Soryu and I took a seat at a table. The other guard was having trouble finding a parking spot.  
I hesitated a moment before saying, "I don't know if Inui is really cut out for being in a yakuza."  
"I know for sure that he isn't," Soryu said. "But he's had a tough life and he isn't ready to be out on his own. If I don't give him work to do, he gets depressed. He needs to feel useful and needed. When he's ready, I'll give him his grandmother's inn. I bought it years ago. I've just been waiting for him grow up enough that he can handle taking it over."  
I stared at him, struck by what he'd said. His dark eyes were skimming over the menu. "You're an amazing person, Soryu."  
"I take care of my people," he said with a shrug. "That's what a good boss does."


	7. Bad to Good and Back Again

"What do you mean an '_open marriage_'?" the current bachelor leaned forward and hissed at me. We were having our matchmaking meeting over dinner at a very fancy restaurant. The man was in his early forties and looked like a humorless and uptight professor. His eyes said that he was particularly nasty, the sort of person who would be spiteful and cruel just for the pleasure of seeing other people in pain.  
Soryu was having dinner with us, though he'd been silent while the bachelor and I exchanged our boring bits of information. He put down his knife and fork as soon as the bachelor hissed at me and looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.  
The bachelor didn't even notice. His eyes were on me as he waited for my answer.  
"Oh, you know," I said, swirling my champagne around in its fancy glass. "I want to be free to have affairs with different people when I'm married. Everyone already does it secretly. I just want things to be out in the open. I don't like all the lying and sneaking around."  
"That's disgusting," the bachelor spat. He sat back in his chair as if to distance himself from me. "Is this how much morals have degraded in Hong Kong? I was always under the impression that the Bell Crickets were a traditional Triad. I would never have guessed that Simon Lee would have raised a daughter who was so loose and whorish."  
While my mouth dropped open at the man's arrogance and nerve, he continued to spout venom. "You're pretty enough, but you're more suited to be a mistress than a wife. I usually keep my girls in apartments in Kabukicho and give them an allowance of $3,000 a month plus gifts when they particularly please me. If you're interested, we can discuss other aspects of a contract."  
I felt my heart sink further with every word that the man spoke. He was so fucking sure of himself, but the only thing I was sure of was that Soryu was going to kill him.  
"Stand up, _right now_, and leave," Soryu said in a low voice that was as sharp as a knife. I couldn't see his face because he'd turned his face to look directly at the bachelor, but whatever the man saw there was enough to make him immediately stand up and nearly run out of the restaurant.  
Soryu didn't stop watching the man until he'd stepped out the front door. As soon as he was gone, Soryu turned to me and said, "I'm sorry that you were insulted like that."  
The shock that had filled me was dissolving into a giddiness that made me want to giggle and I couldn't help releasing a little laugh. "That man was an _idiot_. How stupid do you have to be to make an offer like that to a Triad Princess?"  
"Some men are blinded by their own power," Soryu said. He gave a little grimace and I was _positive_ that he was doing it to hide a smile. "They don't realize that to others they look as powerful as a mosquito."  
I laughed again. It was so much more fun to be talking to Soryu than slogging through another conversation with a bachelor. "How worried do I need to be about pissing off these men?" I asked. "Like this guy, I could tell he was a definite no the moment that I saw him. Is it okay to just say, 'thanks anyway, no need to do the meeting' and leave? Or are these people someone that I can't offend?"  
"That's a good question," Soryu said thoughtfully. "Some of these men, I couldn't care less what you said to them, but others are close partners of the Dragons or the Crickets. Some, even if they aren't close, are the sort of people that you don't want to cross. We'd probably need to go on a case by case basis to decide whether you could abort the meetings."  
"Maybe I could just give you some sort of signal and if it's okay to leave, you could pretend to get a phone call," I suggested. "You could say, 'The police are on our tail, we've got to go Princess.' and then we could leave."  
"'_The police are on our tail_'? I don't think that'll work. Why are the police tailing us?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.  
It was just what I'd been aiming for. I let it warm my blood as I smiled at him. "Maybe we robbed a bank on the way to the meeting or got into a gang fight with another yakuza," I suggested. "I don't think we have time to make explanations to the bachelor anyway, we just need to get out."  
"I'll come up with something that doesn't involve any crazy lies," he said. "Although, when you bring up an open marriage the meeting usually ends shortly after. Maybe you should just lead with that every time."  
"You're right, but then we have to listen to these assholes give their opinions about open marriage. Sometimes it just pisses me off too much," I said. "I feel bad for Mei. I don't imagine that the guys in Hong Kong that she'd be allowed to marry are any better than the ones in Japan. It's sad that she's probably going to end up tied to the wrong person."  
"I'm surprised that you're even worried about her," Soryu said. "I know what she did made you angry."  
"Yeah, I'm not…" I shook my head as I tried to gather the words to explain myself. "I'm not interested in being Mei's friend or anything, but I still don't like thinking about her ending up in a bad marriage. I have to go to these meetings anyway, it doesn't hurt to try to find her a good match."  
"Protective as usual," Soryu said.  
"If you say so," I said with a frown. "We don't have to leave right away, do we? I want to order dessert. See what that kid has over there at that table? That big pile of chocolate on top of chocolate with tons of whipped cream? I want one of those."  
"That does look good," he replied, and this time he let a little hint of a smile show. "Their specialty is a creme brulee. Why don't I order that and you order the chocolate thing and we'll split them?"  
"That sounds like a perfect plan," I said with a sigh of happiness. "I'm ready to go into a sugar coma."  
"Don't get too carried away," he warned. "After this we're going to stop by the penthouse."

To my surprise I felt a sense of relief when we stepped into the penthouse and I saw Olivia rushing over to me with a smile. Going to matchmaking meetings, preparing food for the guys and fighting my attraction to Soryu… None of those things were particularly hard to do, but the thoughts and feelings that came with them were adding up and filling my mind. For the first time, I looked at a friend and wanted to share what was going on with me. For the first time, I felt like it would be okay to talk it out. I didn't need to unburden crazy crap about my life that would reveal too many secrets, I only needed to talk about cooking eggs and the ups and downs of dealing with the bachelors. It would be okay to share that stuff with Olivia.  
She grabbed me and pulled me into her personal salon, leaving Soryu, Eisuke and Mamoru behind. "I've missed you so much!" she said. "I need updates about what's going on with you and I need to tell you about the stuff that's happening here."  
"Sounds good," I said, settling onto the couch and accepting the bottle of fruit juice that she passed me. "Tell me what's happening here. Nothing bad, I hope?"  
"First, I miss you so much in self defense classes. Chisato is great, but you are so funny that you make the classes much more fun. I can't wait until you can come back," she said.  
"I have no idea how long it will be. It seems like there are a lot of matchmaking meetings left and even when they're over I think Soryu wants me to keep posing as Mei so that they can try to catch whoever is trying to kidnap her," I explained. "How's Chisato doing in class? She's always so nice, I have trouble picturing her kicking ass."  
"She's doing great. I think she's a little more badass than people give her credit for. She's working really hard to learn everything and she's doing her best to find Eisuke's sister too," she said.  
"How's that going? Has she found anything out?" I asked.  
"No, not yet," Olivia replied. "But she said there's a lot to go through. It's sort of like finding a needle in a haystack. There's no sign of Hitomi yet but there are still plenty of places to look."  
"That's good. If there's anything I can do to support Chisato, just let me know," I said.  
"I offered her my help but I don't really know what to do, so it just ends up being a burden on her. They keep pushing back the opening date for the jewelry store in the hotel that I'm supposed to manage. I'm about to die of boredom _and_ Mei is annoying the hell out of me," she admitted.  
"Mei is? What's she doing?" I asked, leaning in for some gossip. "She isn't coming onto you is she?"  
She laughed and shook her head. "No, not that! And maybe I really shouldn't be complaining. She isn't _that_ bad, but the spoiled rich girl thing is getting old. She's _so _demanding and needy. She wants attention all the time when she's here. Baba and Ota take her out every day, thank God, but when she _is_ here she drives me crazy with her whining and bragging."  
"That does sound bad," I said, shaking my head in sympathy. "And you can't shut her up with sex like I did."  
"I know, right? Eisuke caught her trying to seduce one of the maids and told her to keep her hands off our staff, so she's got no one to play with. I'm sure that's one of the reasons she's so whiny," Olivia said. "I've been wondering about hiring her a gigolo, but I wouldn't have any idea how to do that."  
"Oh, the problems of being rich. I can remember when you were worried about the price of a new pair of shoes and now you're trying to hire someone to have sex with your houseguest," I said with a laugh. "I know you usually ask Soryu to help you with everything. Do you think he'd know where to hire a male prostitute?"  
"Who knows. I don't think I could even get the nerve up to ask him. But speaking of Soryu, how are things going in that department?" she asked.  
"Absolutely nowhere. I tried, but he isn't interested. At all," I said with a pout.  
"Well," she said, leaning in as if she were going to tell me a secret. "I tried to talk to Ota and Baba about it. They wouldn't say much, but they did say that he never has girlfriends. I'm wondering if...maybe he's gay."  
"Gay?" I repeated, turning the idea over in my mind. "He never has girlfriends and he didn't respond to me at all. I guess it could be possible. God, what a loss for womankind if that body plays for the other team."  
Despite my lighthearted words, I could feel my stomach sink at the thought that Soryu might be gay. I could feel the tiny flame of a chance that he might someday look at me with interest struggling to stay lit like a candle in the wind. I needed to stop protecting it and trying to hold onto it. He wasn't going to change his mind and suddenly decide that he wanted me. I was wasting my time banging my head against a wall.  
"He could even be _asexual_," Olivia said, her eyes big.  
"What?" I asked. "Did you learn a new word?"  
"Yeah," she admitted and we both started laughing.  
We turned to look at the door of the salon as a commotion sounded out in the living room.  
"Let's go see what's happening," Olivia said.

It was Mei, returning from a trip to the aquarium with Baba, Ota and Inui in tow. They were all laughing and talking about the animals that they'd seen. Inui rushed over to me as soon as he saw me.  
"Hi, Princess Mei," he said. "How are you? How are things at the townhouse?"  
"There haven't been any more problems," I replied. "How are you doing?"  
"I'm doing a good job guarding your friend. She's really nice," he answered. "And it's fun taking her places every day. Tomorrow we're going to go to another amusement park."  
"I'm glad you're having a good time. Thanks so much for taking care of my friend," I said. "The matchmaking meetings are just as boring as ever. I wish I was going to an amusement park with you guys instead."  
"You're not having any luck with your meetings?" Eisuke asked.  
I looked over at him, surprised that he was taking an interest. "No. Not so far. Mei-," I caught myself quickly and changed what I was going to say. "-Maybe I'm being too picky, but I only want to marry a man who is going to be a good fit. So far, I've really only met men that are unattractive boring chauvinists."  
"I have a good match for you," Eisuke said, looking at me with a smirk. "When can you fit in another meeting?"  
I looked over at Soryu for an answer, feeling suspicious of Eisuke's offer. "Tomorrow morning is open," Soryu said.  
"Great, I'm going to call a friend. I bet I can do a much better job of finding a match for _Mei_ than Soryu can," Eisuke said, taking out his phone and heading upstairs.  
I looked over at Soryu. He shrugged and said, "Let him try. If he can find the right match we can stop going to these meetings."

The offices where we went to meet Eisuke's bachelor were on a completely different level than the offices we'd been going to for other matchmaking meetings. The rooms were large and open, decorated and furnished with an air of expensive professionalism. The staff were _normal_, pretty young women behind a reception desk and businessmen in suits rather than grim faced Yakuza in narrow hallways.  
A secretary showed us into the bachelor's office. My heart gave a thump and my skin zinged with electricity the moment that I saw him. He was _hot_. He looked like he should be modelling suits in a magazine. He was tall with thick brown hair, light brown eyes and a sexy smile. He looked to be in his early thirties, not too young and not too old. If I were going to go by appearances alone, it looked as if Eisuke had picked a winner.  
We sat down on couches at a seating area in his large office. Soryu sat next to me and I could feel a strange vibe coming off of him, but I figured that it was because we weren't in the typical criminal environment. The secretary came back with tea and fruit trays, setting them gently on the table before bowing and leaving the room quietly.  
I was more than intrigued by the bachelor. There was a gleam of attraction in his eyes that was making my pulse jump and my body heat up. If we were in any other situation, I'd be openly flirting by now, ready to take him up on the promises that his eyes were making.  
"So tell me, Mei," he said with an easy smile. "What is it that you want in a marriage?"  
He'd went straight to the point. Usually it would have seemed like a bonus to skip all of the boring questions, but he was so handsome that I would have been happy to spend an hour staring at him while we talked about our favorite colors and foods. "Well," I answered, tipping my chin and smiling flirtatiously. "To be honest, I'm a little too modern for most men to handle. I'm looking for an open marriage."  
His eyebrows popped up for a moment but his smile just got warmer. "An open marriage. I like your style. Most women wouldn't admit to it, even if it's what they wanted. Please tell me more."  
Next to me, Soryu gave a little cough but I ignored him. I hadn't been prepared for the bachelor's question. This was the point where the other candidates had always started spouting nonsense and ended the meeting. I smiled and looked the man in the eye to give myself a moment to pull myself together. _What was it that Mei would want?_  
"I like to have sex with both men and women and I enjoy multiple partners," I said. "Once I'm married I don't want to be limited to my husband when it comes to my sex life. Men and women have affairs all the time, I just want it to be something that is open and accepted rather than hidden by lies."  
"I can respect that perspective. Do you anticipate bringing your lovers to your home or would you want an apartment for conducting your affairs? Would you share your lovers with your husband, or would you want to keep them completely separate?" he asked, his smile going from warm to downright sexy.  
I shifted on the couch. I wanted to go sit in the bachelor's lap and tell him that I'd share anything he wanted with him. I felt Soryu tense up next to me. It suddenly occurred to me that he might find the bachelor just as appealing as I did. The thought made me want to laugh, and I tucked a threesome fantasy away for later.  
"I think it would be best to have an apartment for affairs," I said, ad-libbing my way through my answer. "It's probably best to keep most things separate from married life. It would be easier that way, but I wouldn't want to have a rule that said I couldn't do stuff at home because I like to play with the servants. And I wouldn't mind sharing with my husband at all."  
"You're painting a very interesting picture. I've never thought of a marriage like this before. I like the idea of not sneaking around and having affairs. I like the honesty of keeping things above board," he said. "How do you see this sort of marriage working when it comes to having children?"  
I took a sip of tea to give myself time to make up an answer. "Obviously some simple precautions should be all that it takes to ensure that I don't get pregnant by a lover. I also think that a well-managed home and some discretion will be enough to keep things secret from children. Especially younger ones. I'm sure that older children will probably figure out something's going on, but there's no way that will be as damaging as the sort of fighting and hatred that comes with typical marital affairs."  
"Well then," he began but was interrupted by the secretary's voice coming over an intercom saying that he had an international phone call waiting.  
He grimaced when the voice cut him off and I could tell that his expression was real. He _didn't _want our conversation to end, but had no choice but to take the call.  
"I'm very sorry to cut this short," he said, standing up and taking my hand to help me up. "I've got to admit that I just agreed to this meeting to pay back a favor for Ichinomiya. I hadn't planned on looking for a wife for another year or two, but you really have caught my attention, Mei. You're beautiful and you aren't afraid to get what you want. Would you have dinner with me later this week so that we can continue our conversation and get to know one another better?"  
"Of course," I said with a smile. "I'd love that."  
"I'll contact you to arrange something then," he said to Soryu and gave me one last smile before his secretary lead us out of his office.

"That was amazing!" I said when Soryu and I were back in his car. "That guy was perfect. I wonder if I'll get a bonus for finding a husband that Mei will agree to? But maybe Eisuke will want to take the credit since he picked the guy. But why would Eisuke need a bonus? He can take the credit - he's going to anyway - and I'll take the bonus."  
I watched as Soryu checked that the extra bodyguards were following behind us in their car before he started towards the exit of the underground parking garage.  
"That man was far from perfect," he growled.  
"Are you kidding me? It seemed like he was completely okay with an open marriage. More than okay, he was _into_ it, _and_ he was gorgeous. I don't know how Mei could say no. This guy is a serious win," I said.  
"He isn't even the head of a criminal organization. His business is mostly legit. He just has a few connections with Yakuza. He can't possibly understand what it would mean to marry Mei," Soryu argued.  
"I don't know," I said thoughtfully. "He seemed _really_ smart. He's probably the kind of guy who took the time to look into things before he even agreed to the meeting. And there's no way Eisuke would have even suggested a meeting unless he thought this bachelor was completely qualified. Eisuke isn't the type to waste time."  
"He's probably just trying to piss me off," Soryu muttered.  
"Piss you off? You were acting weird for the entire meeting," I said, staring at his profile for a clue to his inner thoughts. "Was that guy your enemy or something?"  
"Why would some guy from the business sector by my enemy?" Soryu asked irritably.  
"I don't know. Why would you be so pissed off because Eisuke and I found the perfect husband for Mei. You _said_ you didn't want to marry her. I don't see a problem," I argued and then a thought struck me. "Wait, we do need to figure out how to tell him that I'm just an imposter. Should Mei and I both go to dinner and explain it together? I guess I should explain and then leave. Or, you can tell him when he calls to make the date? Or maybe Eisuke should call him because they're friends. What do you think?"  
"I think we should get something to eat," he said, suddenly swooping into a parking spot that had just been vacated by another car. "I'm hungry."  
I watched him get out of the car and come around to open my door. He was definitely in a weird mood. When I was standing on the sidewalk, he took my elbow and looked up and down the block to find a restaurant. "We'll go to that tonkatsu place," he said and started walking.  
"We're not going to wait for the other bodyguards?" I asked.  
"They'll be looking for a parking spot. I'll send them a text letting them know where we are," he said. I frowned up at him but decided there was no use arguing with him.

In the restaurant I fidgeted with my menu and peeked over it at Soryu. He was staring grimly down at his own menu. What was he so upset about? Was it possible that he really did like Mei? Had he changed his mind and decided that he couldn't give her up once we'd found what seemed to be an awesome match for her? Or was it more likely that he really _was_ gay and he'd been attracted to the super sexy bachelor? Was he jealous because the bachelor had been flirting with me and hadn't paid any attention to him?  
I peeked over my menu again. He'd put down his own menu, but his dark expression hadn't changed. I pictured him back in the expensive office casting come hither looks at the bachelor. I couldn't help but laugh aloud at the image. I quickly tried to stifle my giggles and hid myself behind my menu.  
"What are you laughing about?" Soryu demanded.  
"Uh, nothing," I said. "I think I'm going to have a small fettuccine alfredo."  
"Let's wait and order when the other guys get here," he replied.  
"_Sticker! Sticker!_"  
I looked down to see a tiny boy standing next to me offering up a sticker. "Oh my!" I said with a big smile. "Look at this. A kitty sticker! I love it!"  
I peeled the sticker off the piece of paper that it was on and stuck it to the front of my cheongsam. "Thank you very much!"  
The little boy laughed and I watched as he ran back to the table that his mother was sitting at. A couple of minutes later I saw him on the other side of the restaurant giving a sticker to an older man.  
I decided to start talking. Maybe if I changed the subject and got Soryu to talk about something besides the meeting, he would lighten up. "What are we doing after-" Before I could finish my question, two loud bangs rang out in the restaurant. While I froze in shock, Soryu flew around the table, grabbed me and shoved me under the table. He followed me and pushed me back until I was against the wall. The restaurant was filled with the screams of the other customers. I looked at Soryu. He gave me a firm glance before turning to look around the restaurant, quickly assessing the situation.  
Another loud bang filled the room and I realized that it was a gunshot. "Everyone shut the fuck up and freeze," a voice yelled.  
Soryu turned back to me and whispered. "Stay right here. Don't move and don't make a sound. I've got to get to a better vantage point."  
I watched as he pulled out a gun and ran in a crouched position across the restaurant. Another two shots rang out as he crossed the floor. I couldn't help squealing in fear as one bullet tore into the floor and another embedded itself in a chair. Whoever was in the restaurant was shooting at Soryu, but he made it safely to the other side of the restaurant and disappeared into the hallway that led to the restrooms.  
The restaurant was mostly silent except for the sounds of quiet crying. "We know you're in here, Princess," a loud voice echoed through the room. "Give yourself up."  
My breath caught painfully in my throat and I squeezed my eyes shut. Someone was shooting up the restaurant because of _me_. They were scaring everyone because of _me_. And they'd even shot at Soryu, he could have been killed.  
A child's loud screams burst out and I looked over to see the little boy who'd been passing out the stickers crying. He was several tables away from where his mother had been sitting. He'd probably been frozen with shock since the first shots were fired. Now, the shock must have worn off and he was screaming for his mother.  
"_Ritsu,_" I heard a voice, quiet and filled with fear, call. "_Ritsu, come here._"  
"Shut that kid up," another voice growled. And I was horrified when a man stepped into my field of vision and raised his gun towards the little boy.  
"_No!_" I screamed, flinging myself into the aisle. "_No, don't shoot that boy! I'm here, take me!_"

There were three men in black suits and sunglasses. They came and jerked me to my feet. I tried to look over my shoulder, to find Soryu, to see him one last time before the men dragged me out of the restaurant, but I couldn't find him.  
They shoved me into the back of a van and climbed in after me. The van took off immediately. "Give me your phone," one of them demanded and I pulled my phone out of my purse and handed it to him. He passed the phone to a man sitting in the front passenger seat. The man took it, rolled down the window and threw my phone out onto the road without a word.  
Another of the men grabbed my purse and upended it, going through my things, probably looking for weapons or some other device that could be used by the Ice Dragons to track me. When he was satisfied that there was nothing dangerous in my belongings, he shoved them back into the purse and tossed it back at me.  
While the men began talking amongst themselves, I hugged my arms around myself and slowly slipped my fingers up into the sleeve of my cheongsam to press the button on the small tracking device that I had pinned there. I wondered what Soryu was doing. I knew that he would be coming after me, mounting a search, doing his best to save me. I just had to hope that whatever he did would be successful. 


	8. Rescue

I watched the minutes tick by on the clock on the dashboard of the van. We drove for nearly three hours after the men took me from the restaurant. Out of the city and into the country, past small towns and fields and through forests. I felt as if I were trapped in a bubble. The only sounds that reached me were my own breathing. Whatever the men around me were saying was distant and far away. I was frozen within myself, suspended in ice, counting the minutes and gazing out the windows. Everything seemed so far away.  
I'd really never been out of Tokyo before. It was a surprise to me that I was almost as afraid of the stands of trees and the flat open spaces of the fields and rice paddies as I was of the men in the van. The openness of the fields made me feel insecure, I wanted buildings to loom over me protectively. The forests seemed like something out of an eerie fairy tale, endless trees shrouded in darkness even in the bright of day.  
The van finally pulled up to some sort of farm. I couldn't guess what was grown there, the crops had already been harvested and the fields were bare. A group of men came out of the house to meet us as we got out of the vehicle. Two men held me by the arms and one of the men from the house stepped in front of me.  
The man was tall and muscular, a long scar ran down his cheek. His air of confidence and cruelty and the arrogance in his eyes said that he was the boss. The icy blankness in his gaze said that he didn't even see me as human. I felt a shiver run down my spine. This man was truly dangerous. To this man I was already dead. I felt as if I were melting with fear.  
"She handed herself over, Boss," one of the men holding me said. "We fired some shots in the restaurant, but no one got hurt."  
"Yeah, I got the message," the boss said, looking me over. "So you're Simon Lee's daughter. Let's take a few pictures to send to your Dad."  
The two men stepped away and the boss moved to put his arm around my shoulders. I felt my skin crawl as he touched me but I knew better than to pull away. This was the sort of man who would strike first and speak later. "Smile, Princess," he said. "These are probably going to be the last pictures that your father sees of you. You'd better pray that we don't need to take more."  
I felt my stomach turn as another man stepped in front of us and held up his phone to take pictures of the two of us. The boss's words replayed over and over in my head. '_The last pictures…_' He must be planning to kill me. Would he do it now or would it be later? Would Soryu have time to rescue me? Would he be _able_ to rescue me? What if the tracking device was faulty and he didn't even know where I was? If that were the case, he would never come for me.  
While I was lost in thought the man finished taking pictures and the boss pushed me over to one of my original kidnappers. "Take her to the barn and keep a close guard on her. I don't want Bell Cricket trash in my parents' house. We'll see what answers Simon Lee has for me. We may need to make a video of her getting roughed up, so don't touch her for now. If Lee isn't willing to get out of Niigata Prefecture entirely, I'll let you play with her all you want," he said before turning and walking away without a backwards glance.  
A group of men led me to the barn. I felt as if my heart were going to cave in with fear. I wasn't really Mei. Simon Lee had no reason to make any promises or concessions in order to save me. He'd probably just laugh in the boss's face and tell him that I wasn't Mei. What would the boss do when he realised he had the wrong person? That he'd been tricked? He'd probably kill me. He'd let his men do whatever they wanted with me and then they'd kill me. If Soryu didn't come in time, I was as good as dead. There was no telling how long it would take them to send the pictures to Simon Lee and get a response. It could be as little as a handful of minutes. There was every chance that Soryu wouldn't have time to find me before bad things started happening.

In the barn they gave me a chair to sit in. I wasn't tied up or anything, they just had a man standing next to me at all times. A couple of men stood at the entrances to the barn, but mostly everyone was relaxed. The other men wandered around, just talking and hanging out. They obviously didn't think I had any real chance of escaping or being rescued.  
I sat on the chair, miserable with fear. I could see out the windows and the large open door of the barn. If I could escape, I'd have no choice but to run across the fields and into the dense trees. I could hear dogs barking in the distance. Would they have the dogs chase after me and find me in the woods? I closed my eyes tightly against the image of men and dogs chasing me through the dark forest. If I was given the chance, I would have to try to escape no matter how much the idea scared me.  
I couldn't see the time in the barn, so I had no idea how long I sat there. It was a while, at least over an hour, before the man standing next to me muttered, "damn" and a few seconds later sank to the ground. I frowned down at him in surprise, wondering if he was sick. Around the barn more men were crashing to the ground. A few started running, pulling out guns and looking around, but they soon fell down, too.  
I stood up and looked around as I realized that I was being rescued. Two figures appeared in the hayloft and moved to climb down a ladder. Soryu and Baba. I started trembling. I wanted to run to Soryu. I wanted to sit back down in the chair because I felt like I was going to faint. I ended up standing there and crying silent tears as the two men rushed towards me.  
Soryu grabbed me by my upper arms and stared down at me. "Are you okay?"  
I reached up to wipe the tears from my face and said, "Yeah."  
"I've got to get her out of here," Soryu said. He and Baba led me out of the barn. There were cars pulling up in front of the house and men pouring out of them. I recognized a few of the men I'd seen at Soryu's townhouse and even a couple of people from the hotel.  
Ota and Kyoichiro came out of the house and hurried over to us. There was blood drying on Ota's chin and his lips were swollen, he must have been hit in the mouth.  
"Are you okay?" Baba asked.  
Ota nodded and said, "Yeah. We've got everything taken care of in the house. Eisuke's with Arimura. Good job getting the girl back."  
"We took down everyone in the barn. They need to be taken care of," Soryu said and indicated the men that were assembling in the front yard. "Have the guys search the area and take care of any issues."  
When Kyoichiro nodded and went to talk to the men on the lawn, Soryu turned to Baba and Ota. "I'm going to get Sakiko out of here. Remind Eisuke that I don't want any mercy shown to Arimura. This ends here."

Soryu led me to a car, holding onto me firmly until I was safely sitting in the front seat. I watched the farmhouse and barn shrink and disappear in the side mirror. I could have been killed. I could have been raped. I could have been hurt badly, but Soryu and the other men had saved me.  
"Thank you, Soryu," I said. "Thank you so much for coming to get me."  
"Of course I came to get you," he snapped. I looked at him in surprise. He'd been icy and controlled at the farm but now it seemed that he was being overtaken by anger.  
I sat quietly in the car trying not to replay the events of the day over and over again in my head. The sun was going down and the forest was growing darker and darker. It was a real darkness, nothing like night in the city with its countless lights. Soryu suddenly took a right turn onto a smaller road. I looked curiously at the little screen on the dashboard that had the directions back to Tokyo. We weren't supposed to be turning off the main road. "_Recalculating,_" the device said.  
"Where are we going?" I asked, sneaking a peek at Soryu. I could tell that he was still angry by the way he sat rigidly in his seat.  
"We're taking an indirect route in case someone tries to come after us," he said, his voice tight.  
I nodded and stared out the window into the darkness for a while. We were really in the middle of nowhere. There were no lights, no houses, no other cars, just the forest that swallowed all light and the stars above us. After we'd driven for some time I couldn't stop myself from asking another question. "Those men in the barn, did you guys...kill them?"  
"No," he said. I didn't look at him, but his voice was still filled with anger. "We used special tranquilizer darts. They won't feel so well for the next few days, but they aren't dead."  
"Uh, that's good," I said, blinking tears of relief from my eyes. "I mean...It's hard, you know? I definitely wanted to be rescued, but I don't know if my life is worth the lives of a whole bunch of other people. I don't know if I could have handled it if all those guys had been killed."  
"I would have gladly killed those men and dozens more to get you back," he said darkly. "Any man who puts a hand on a woman in violence doesn't deserve his next breath."  
I swallowed and looked down at my hands. I remembered the story that he'd told about his father's widow, mistresses and his half-brothers and sisters being kidnapped and killed. It made sense that he would have no sympathy for anyone involved in something like that. It made sense that he was seething with anger.

"What did you think you were doing?" he asked, his words sounded as if they were being torn from him. "You gave yourself to them."  
"One of those men was going to shoot that little boy, he couldn't have been more than two years old," I said, the scene flashing through my mind and sending chills down my spine. "I couldn't let that happen."  
"I told you to stay where you were," he growled.  
"I couldn't just sit there and watch that little boy be shot in front of me _and _his mother and everyone else there," I said, my voice rising. I was starting to feel angry myself because he was questioning my decision.  
"Your _job_ is to follow orders. You do what you're told. _I told you to stay where you were_," he was practically yelling now.  
"That makes no sense!" I yelled at him, my voice filling the car. "_They were going to kill that little boy! _Even if I hadn't come out from under the table, they would have gotten me anyway. All they had to do was look under the tables and find me! I don't know why you keep saying I did the wrong thing when I obviously did the right thing!"  
"I could have taken them out. I was about to take them all down and you started yelling and jumped into their arms. Once they had you there was no guarantee that I would be able to get you back," he shouted. "There was no guarantee that you would be alive by the time we caught up with you!"  
"_Don't you think I know that?!_ I'm the one who's been with all of those terrible men this whole time. I was _very aware_ that they could kill me. At any moment they could have figured out that I wasn't really Mei. The first thing they did when we got into the van was go through my purse. What if they'd looked at my driver's license?!" I cried, already knowing the answer. "But that doesn't matter. That little boy was completely innocent! His parents, too. I'm at least involved in this whole mess. If anyone was going to die it should have been me, not a _child_! I was in that restaurant and I brought danger to everyone in there!"  
"I'm the one who decided to go into that restaurant!" he roared. "It was _my_ decision! I never should have left you. I should have found another way. But _you_… you're too impulsive. You threw yourself right into their hands. You're too protective of other people. You need to learn to take care of yourself. I understand that you can't let a child be harmed, but there had to be a better way!"  
"There wasn't time to think of a better way!" I argued. "Maybe if I'd had a gun I could have shot the man who was going to shoot the boy. But I'm missing all my self defense classes because of the matchmaking meetings. I need more shooting lessons before I'll be allowed to carry a gun."  
"_A gun_? I don't even want to think of you in a shootout. This isn't going to work anymore. You are no longer needed. You can go back to the casino!" Soryu yelled. "We'll figure something else out. I'd rather have Mei going to her own meetings than you throwing yourself in the line of fire!"  
"Like hell you will!" I shouted back at him. "You aren't going to do _anything_ to endanger Mei or the Ice Dragons' connections with the Bell Crickets. I won't let you. You're fucking crazy for even considering it!"

Without warning he jerked the wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road. My anger quickly turned to confusion and then fear as he jumped out and rushed around to my side of the car, flinging the door open and yanking me out. My first thought was that he was going to throw me out of the car and leave me on the side of the road in some dark and wooded area in the middle of nowhere. As he slammed the car door shut and pushed me up against it, I was sure that he was going to hit me, but then he reached towards my neck and I froze in terror. He was going to strangle me. His face was furious and his eyes were glowing with anger. I'd been arguing with him and pushing him and driving him crazy all this time and now I was going to pay the price. He was going to kill me and throw my body in the woods.  
His hands cupped the sides of my head and his mouth descended onto mine. My world flipped upside down. He wasn't killing me, he was kissing me. His lips slanted roughly over mine, hot and demanding, while his hands held me firmly in place. My own lips parted to gasp in some air as my brain tried to figure out what the hell was going on. His tongue took the opportunity to invade my mouth and stroke over my tongue, hot and wet and forceful.  
'_It's Soryu,_' my mind whispered and I felt the tension and fear drain from my body. _Soryu_. This is how he tastes. This is how he feels. I reached up to fist my hands in his shirt, holding myself up, holding him to me. He was pouring his anger into me, I could feel it coming off him in waves. And I wanted it. I wanted to receive all of his anger, to take it away and make him feel better. I wanted whatever he would give me. I wanted all of him.  
I opened my mouth wider to take in more of him, sucking on his tongue, sparring with it. I received his fury and gave him back all of the fear and terror that had ruled me since the first shot sounded in the restaurant. Our kiss was rough and desperate, bruising, full of so many big, painful emotions. I was whimpering, pulling him towards me with my hands, pushing my mouth into his. I couldn't get enough of him.  
I reached a hand up to run my fingers through his hair and the soft feel of his locks made my palm tingle. My body was whispering his name, chanting it, shouting it. Everything was _Soryu_. He wasn't just another man, another body. He was special, everything about him was distinct and important. The curve of his ear and the line of his jaw beneath my fingertips. The pliable strength of his lips as they pushed and tugged at mine. His scent. His heat. The feel of his erection, hard against my stomach.  
I moaned and arched into him. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anyone or anything. My body was on fire, my every cell straining towards him, begging to feel more of him.

He wrenched his lips from mine and dropped his forehead to my shoulder for a moment, his ragged breaths filling my ears. I moved to thread my fingers through his hair, but as soon as my fingertips touched his neck he straightened and his hands yanked me away from the car. He walked to the front of the car, half-dragging me as I struggled to keep up, and tossed me down on the hood. I landed with a loud thud, bouncing back up immediately to meet him as he bent over me, grabbing him and pulling him close. His hands came down with a bang on either side of me and his lips claimed mine again with a violent hunger that I was more than ready to match.  
My mind was no longer fuzzy, I was no longer confused and caught up in the wonder of how he felt. I just wanted him. Every inch of me was in torment, desperate for him. I'd wanted him for so very long, now that I was so close to getting what I wanted, I felt as if I were going to explode.  
His mouth crashed down onto mine again and again, mercilessly invading me and I responded in kind, devouring him, hot, wet and delicious. My hands moved wildly, clutching and tugging at his hair, his ears, his neck, his shoulders and arms. I couldn't pull him close enough, I couldn't rest or be still until he was inside of me. I was wracked with desire, nearly sobbing with the urgent need to have him.  
His lips left mine, shattering our connection, leaving me lost and writhing. His hands found the slit of my cheongsam and with two quick movements he wrenched the dress apart, buttons popping from thigh to neck. I moaned as the cool night air hit my sweaty skin. Soryu's fingers grasped my panties and wrenched them down my legs, knocking my shoes off into the grass, and tossing the scrap of fabric into the darkness.  
He reached for his belt and began to unfasten his pants as I unclasped the front opening of my bra and pushed it to the side. I moved, scooting closer to the edge of the car, bending my knees and spreading my thighs, preparing to receive him. He stepped forward and his hand went between my legs, his fingers tracking roughly through my wet folds searching out my entrance before his brought the tip of his cock to me and pushed his way inside.  
My breath caught as I felt him entering me. It was the culmination of so many thoughts and desires, the first drop of water to quench a desperate thirst, and he felt _huge_. I could feel my body stretching to accommodate him, nerve endings firing and sending waves of blistering pleasure through my body, electricity cascading down to my toes and fingertips.  
I cried out, the feel of him inside of me was too much. He felt too good, so good that my entire body was under his spell, throbbing and flushed with pleasure. My mind was clouded, overtaken by him. I clutched and pulled at him, rocking my hips up into him and moaning. When he was finally fully seated inside of me he filled me completely, pushing me to my limits, the tip of his cock pressing against my cervix. My body pulsed around his hard length and I arched up towards him, moaning. "_Soryu...please…_"  
He grasped my thigh in his hand and pushed it up, gripping it with strong fingers as he began to thrust in and out of me. He movements were hard and deep, relentlessly pounding into me. He showed no gentleness or consideration, I could feel his anger, his need to force his will onto me, with each stroke. I fought back with my body, unwilling to concede victory, crashing into him with as much force as I could muster, demanding as much from him as he was taking from me.  
I looked up to see him staring down into my eyes, his gaze hot and searching. Sweat covered his face and dripped down onto me. "_Soryu_," I breathed, my body clenching around him. My head tilted back and my eyes closed. I could feel him everywhere. I was tightening all over as his every stroke compounded the passion that filled me. I saw the orgasm coming and knew that it would be mind-shattering. Everything else fell away as I worked toward that exquisite peak of tension and broke through it, my entire body spasming and loud cries bursting from my lips.  
He grabbed my hips and pounded into me with a deep jab, releasing his hot seed and a growl that trembled down my spine. He lowered himself over me, both of us breathing raggedly as we tried to recover from the hard fuck. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, but I was too weakened by the orgasm. I felt like jelly.  
He moved, his head twisting so that his mouth was near my ear. "I'm sorry, Sakiko," he breathed. "I put you in danger. It's my fault you were kidnapped. I'm sorry."  
My tongue flicked out to lick my lips but I couldn't say anything. My head was spinning. I couldn't collect my thoughts to answer him.  
A moment later he pushed himself away from me, exposing me to the night air, his cock sliding out of me and leaving me feeling bereft. I looked up at him, his face was shrouded in darkness.  
"Do not put yourself in danger again," he said, his voice commanding and harsh.  
A sound escaped my lips, a moan, half a laugh. He would whisper his apologies but shout his demands. He was such a man.  
His hands came down and pulled me up. I was still gasping and spasming with the after effects of the orgasm, a ragdoll that he pulled around and put back into the car. He left my door open and I watched his silhouette walk to the front of the car where he used the flashlight on his phone to find my shoes. He carried them back to me, setting them on the floor before removing his suit jacket and dropping it in my lap.  
Slamming my door shut, he got in the car himself, turning on the car, turning on the headlights and getting back on the road. He didn't say another word until we were parked in the garage underneath the townhouse.

I slipped my shoes on and stepped out of the car, wrapping Soryu's suit jacket around me to cover up my torn dress. Standing in the cold concrete cave of the underground garage, everything felt unreal. Soryu was walking around the car, his eyes on me and a frown on his face. "Let's get inside," he said, his voice rough. He took my elbow and led me to the stairs.  
Upstairs we ran into Yuuto. His eyes flared with anger when he saw me standing in Soryu's suit jacket, my dress beneath it at weird angles because it has been torn open. "Those fucking bastards," he said, unaware that the damage had been done by Soryu. "It was the Arimura Faction, right? That cheap fucking mob. Tell me that you crippled them."  
Soryu's frown deepened as he listened to Yuuto. "Yeah, it was Arimura. Ichinomiya's dealing with him because I've got the princess. He's probably already dead. The faction will be destroyed."  
I felt my stomach flip over at the casual mention of murder, but Soryu just kept talking as if it were no big deal.  
"Get in touch with Kyoichiro and see if he has an estimate of when some of the men will be returning tonight. I want food sent here and over to the dorms. Everyone is going to be hungry when they get back."  
Yuuto turned on his heel and hurried out of the room. I looked up at Soryu. "You've got to be hungry, too. Let me change really quick and I'll make you something."  
"No," he replied, anger in his voice. "You're going to go take a bath. I'll order you food. You can eat and then go to bed."  
I tried again. "It really isn't a problem for me to make you something."  
"_You will not_," he said, taking my elbow in his hand and pulling me out of the room and up the stairs. He led me to my bedroom door and glowered down at me. "I'll have Yuuto bring your food up to you. Don't come out of this room until tomorrow. Rest. And I'll be rescheduling the meetings for tomorrow and arranging for someone else to cook. You take a break."  
He opened my door, pushed me inside and closed the door after me before I had a chance to argue. I reached up to flip on the lightswitch and stared blankly at the door. I could hear his footsteps as he walked down the hallway away from me.  
'_What the hell?_' He'd fucked me and then barely said a word to me. My mind rolled over and stalled. I'd been through too much to try to start analyzing Soryu now.  
I did as he said, taking a long hot bath and eating the bento box that Yuuto left outside my door, climbing into bed and staring at the ceiling.  
I'd been kidnapped. A tiny boy had almost been shot right in front of me. I could have been killed. There was really no telling how close I'd been to death. Soryu and his friends and his men had saved me. Soryu had fucked me. They - or Eisuke - were going to kill that man, Ariumura, because he'd kidnapped me. Or, maybe not because he'd kidnapped me, but because he'd kidnapped "Mei". It didn't really matter, because Soryu had said he was probably already gone. I didn't know how I felt about that. The death of anyone didn't sit well with me, but that man had obviously been a very bad person. It had been easy to see in his eyes that he had no respect for human life, no conscience to stop him from hurting others.  
I sighed and rolled over. Emotions were bubbling inside of me. Fear, confusion, relief, anger. Normally I'd be looking for someone to fuck to make my feelings go away. If Soryu wasn't interested, there was always Yuuto, he'd expressed enough interest in the past. But I had no intention of looking for Yuuto, no motivation to get out of bed. I'd already been fucked. I could let the emotions simmer until I fell asleep.  
What I really wanted was to talk to Olivia. To get her opinion of everything that had happened. She'd invited me into this underground world. Soryu had said that it was because she needed a friend to talk to and now I understood why. This was so different from the normal world. I had no idea how to process the events of the day. The terror of being kidnapped seemed like a strange dream, lying here safe and sound in my bed. And how was I supposed to feel about people being killed and hurt. Guilty? Happy? Something else?  
I sighed and bit my lip to break my train of thought. There were no answers here. The one thing that I knew was that I was not going to listen to Soryu. I'd be downstairs preparing breakfast first thing in the morning just like always. No way was I going to lie around doing nothing and ruminating on my memories. I was going to push forward and keep myself occupied no matter what.


	9. The Day After

"So the guy went down easy and I was ready to throw myself a victory party. I turned around and there was this _enormous giant_ of a man running at me. I saw my life flashing right before my eyes," Yuuto said, waving his arms dramatically. I laughed at his story as I whisked eggs in a large bowl. "He raised this huge fist to smash my brains out and I ducked and started-"  
I looked up at him, wondering why he'd fallen silent and followed his eyes to the door that led to the hallway. Soryu was standing there, his expression icy. "I need you to go to Osaka for the next month, Yuuto. Go pack your things."  
"Oh. Really? What?" Yuuto looked confused for a minute and then pulled himself together. "Yeah, boss. I'll get right on that."  
I watched Yuuto leave while Soryu came over and took a seat at the counter island. "What are you doing?" he asked with a frown.  
"Duh. I'm making breakfast," I said, frowning right back at him.  
"I told you to rest for today." Anger was creeping into his voice.  
"And that was a great idea. Sitting around with nothing to do will give me plenty of time to relive the trauma of yesterday over and over again," I said sarcastically. I froze, holding my bowl of eggs over a hot frying pan. "Are you planning on fucking me into compliance? Because if you are, I should probably hold off on starting these eggs."  
He stared back at me, his expression emotionless.  
"Suit yourself," I said with a shrug and poured the eggs in the pan. "Don't go changing your mind. Scrambled eggs are gross if they get cold."  
"Are you ruminating about yesterday?" he asked.  
"No. I already told you, I'm making breakfast." I bit my lip. I knew that I was being a bitch but I couldn't stop myself. He was acting cold and it was throwing me off for all the wrong reasons. It shouldn't bother me if he wanted to fuck and forget it. A one night stand should be fine with me, but for some reason it was really irritating me that he'd walked away and was acting like nothing had ever happened.  
"If you need to speak to a therapist, I can have Ran Nitta come over immediately," he offered.  
"I already told you before that I won't talk to a therapist," I said, focusing on the eggs as I moved them around in the pan.  
"What happened yesterday after they took you out of the restaurant?" he asked.  
"Not much. They put me in a van and threw my phone out the window. Damn. That reminds me. I need a new phone."  
"I'll buy you one today. It took hours to get out to that farm," he pointed out. "How did you feel in the van?"  
"Let's see… Scared?" I replied and rolled me eyes.  
"I'm not very good at this, am I?" he asked and turned away with a grimace.  
'_He wants to smile and he's fighting it_,' I thought, my stomach suddenly feeling like lead. He really was rejecting me, not just in a sexual way but rejecting the little friendship that we'd built.  
"I… I'm making an American style breakfast," I said, trying to change the subject. "Hashbrowns, sausage, biscuits and cheesy scrambled eggs. Everything is ready except for the eggs and they'll be finished soon. Yuuto already set the table."  
"That sounds very unhealthy," he said. He looked uncomfortable and distant. I gripped the spatula and used it to stir the eggs. My instincts were telling me to throw it at him. What was he doing? He didn't need to treat me differently just because we'd fucked.  
"I...I think everyone deserves an unhealthy breakfast because they stayed up late last night taking care of things at that farm," I explained, my voice a little defiant.  
"I can't argue with that." He nodded, his face cold. "If you're almost finished I'll go get the other guys. I suppose it's only fair that I let Yuuto eat before he leaves for Osaka since he helped you out."  
I watched him walk away feeling angry and lost. Did he really have to behave this way? Why was he being so distant - because I'd been kidnapped? Because we'd fucked? I didn't understand it and I didn't like it at all.

"What's going on in here?"  
I turned around to see that Soryu and Kyoichiro had come into the kitchen. Kyoichiro looked mildly curious. To no one's surprise, Soryu was frowning.  
"We're reorganizing the kitchen," Maki answered before I could open my mouth.  
"Whoever decided where to put things didn't use any logic," I explained before Soryu had a chance to question me. I'd found three young men in the game room and put them to work helping me with the task. Dishes and food were being piled up on the counters as we emptied and cleaned the cabinets and drawers. "Don't worry about lunch, I've already got an egg casserole waiting to go in the oven."  
"You're supposed to be resting. You shouldn't be taking on an unnecessary project or preparing lunch." Soryu's usual commanding voice held the slightest hint of anger.  
"I already told you I'm not going to sit around doing nothing," I said with a smile, trying to keep the conversation from turning into an argument.  
"Hey, there are like fifty cans of sardines down here," a voice piped up from behind the kitchen island. Kanada peeked over the edge and held up three cans of sardines to prove his find.  
"Those must be mine," Kyoichiro said. "I bought them when we first moved in but could never find them."  
"They were down here behind this blender thing," Kanada said, disappearing back behind the island. "We'll be sure to put them somewhere you can find them now, Sir."  
"See? I may be leaving soon, but this will help everyone who uses the kitchen in the future," I said.  
"About that," Soryu said with some more frowning, "Mei is kicking up a fuss. She wants you to continue to go to the matchmaking meetings for her so that she can keep playing the tourist. She's offering you five hundred dollars a meeting on top of what Eisuke's already paying you."  
I shouldn't have been so surprised by Mei's plan. I would have been expecting it if I'd taken any time to think about Mei and what she would want. _Five hundred dollars a meeting on top of everything else. _I could feel my savings account growing. Money meant security. It meant I'd be prepared for life's disasters. And this was easy money, there was no reason to think that anyone else was interested in kidnapping Mei. Even if they were, the destruction of the Arimura Faction should make them reconsider their plans.  
"Do _you_ mind if I stay and keep posing as Mei?" I asked, meeting Soryu's dark gray eyes to judge his true reaction.  
"Of course I don't," he replied, his expression tight. His eyes flitted over the mess we'd made of the kitchen. "And thanks for doing this. You didn't have to go out of your way to help us out."  
"If you're going to be staying, maybe you can help us with with the weapons room, too," Maki suggested. "It's almost as disorganized as the kitchen."  
"And the game room," Satozaki interjected. "It's a _huge_ mess. They have these special organizers for games that we could buy."  
"Yeah, guys, that's no problem," I said and looked back over at Soryu and Kyoichiro. "Lunch will be at one o'clock."  
I crouched down to clean the inside of a cabinet as soon as the two men left the room. Once my face was hidden from the others, I let the cheerful expression I'd been maintaining drop and felt doubts filling me.  
I was worried that staying at the townhouse and continuing to see Soryu every day was a bad decision. He'd moved on from fucking me just as I should have wanted him to...but that wasn't what I wanted. For some reason I didn't feel like my usual self. I didn't want him to move on without looking back, without looking at me and wanting more.  
He'd gone from being an obsessive fantasy to something else, something that I didn't even have the words for. I wanted more from him. I wanted him to touch me and I wanted him to smile at me. I wanted him to just _be near me_. He was dangerous, more of a threat than I ever would have imagined. If I was going to continue to pose as Mei - and there was no way I could turn down that much money for so simple a job - I was going to have to get myself under control. And that felt like an impossible task, even though Soryu wasn't giving me the slightest reason to hope that we could fuck again.  
It left me feeling agitated and lonely. Feelings that I would normally have dealt with by finding someone to fuck, but Soryu had done a number on my head. I didn't want anyone but him. It was too ironic. I was living in a house, the lone woman surrounded by men and the only one I wanted wasn't interested.

I gave Soryu a wry smile as he walked into the kitchen.  
"You just can't follow directions, can you?" he asked as he took a seat at the counter island.  
"I told you that I need to keep busy so that I don't think about yesterday too much," I replied. The day felt as if it had lasted ten years and I had invented task after task to keep myself busy.  
"The guys don't need homemade snacks to watch a soccer game. Stuff from the corner store is fine," he said. "I'm worried about you."  
'_No, __I'm_ _worried about __you__,'_ I thought. Every time I saw him it got a little harder. It was like an avalanche had been set off. Of course I wanted him, when I looked at him all that I could think about was touching him, tasting him, feeling him against me… But I wanted more than that. I wanted to look at him, I wanted him sitting close. I wanted to hear his voice and to watch his face while I talked to him. I wanted so many stupid things and he was more distant than ever.  
"Don't worry about me," I said. I was putting together deviled eggs. I set a couple on a plate and slid them over to him. "I've got this under control."  
"You don't really seem to," he countered. I looked up and met his eyes, they were full of concern. "It looks like you're just running away from your thoughts."  
"That's just the way that I deal with things," I said, shrugging off his concern. "There's no reason to brood about it anyway. I'm fine. It all worked out in the end. Over and done."  
"I know things aren't as simple as that. Not for anyone. I may need to talk to Ran Nitta myself," he admitted.  
"Why's that?" I asked. "I'm sure you've been through worse. That stuff you and Baba did in the barn, there wasn't even any blood. The guys have told me stories about some really violent fights that they had with other yakuza and you were usually involved."  
"That's true," he said, "but this isn't the same. This time I got frustrated and fucked up. I made bad choices and put you in danger. It wasn't a planned offensive or some move to defend against an attack. An innocent woman could have been killed because I got sloppy."  
I watched him while I turned his words over in my head. "I'm okay, though. You saved me. You didn't just give up, you did everything that you could to make things right. You just made one little mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."  
"One mistake can undo ten thousand good decisions." For a moment he let his mask drop and I could see the pain that he held inside. "Everything that I've worked for, all of these men that depend on me, it can all be destroyed with one bad decision."  
A thought crossed my mind that made me shiver. "Arimura was killed and his faction was demolished. Could that happen to you?"  
"The Ice Dragons are really too big for something like that to happen," he explained. "Arimura's group was just a mob, not a mafia."  
"But you guys are still a target. There's that battle or whatever that's going on in Osaka," I pointed out.  
"You're right, but that's for territory. They're not trying to knock us out of existence," he said. "That would be impossible. We're just too big."  
"I see. There's no bringing down the Dragons," I said thoughtfully. "And when it comes to the kidnapping, it was just me. I'm not important. Simon Lee wouldn't have been upset about it, even if they'd killed me. So, no worries."  
"What are you talking about, '_no worries_'?" he growled, suddenly angry. "To me you're mo- You're _just as important_ as Mei. I've told you again and again that we protect our people."  
"Okay, I get it," I said, struck by his anger. "I didn't mean to make you mad."  
"This is just very important to me. I actually-" He stopped and wiped a hand across his face. "My grandfather worked very hard to teach me the importance of protecting innocent people, especially women. My father didn't learn that lesson as well as I did. He had a lot of mistresses, including my mother. I was his oldest son, and therefore his heir, and that made the other mistresses bully my mother much more than they bullied each other. My father knew, but he didn't try to do anything about it."  
He stopped talking for a moment and looked around the room as if he was caught up in images from the past. I wanted to lean over and touch him, but I kept my hands to myself.  
"He took my mom, an innocent young woman, from her family in Japan and brought her to Hong Kong to be his mistress. He destroyed her reputation and her chance at a normal life. He didn't care when she begged him for help, even when she told him that things were so bad that she was feeling suicidal. In the end she had no choice but to leave me behind and return to Japan, to a family that shunned her," he said.  
"Oh, that sounds terrible," I said lamely. The need to touch him was just growing stronger but he felt too far away. He wasn't mine to touch just any time I pleased.  
"I've had a twisted view of women since that time," he continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I want to protect them. It's what my grandfather taught me and it's the right thing to do, but I also avoid them. I saw too much of just how nasty women can be when I watched my mother being harassed by the other mistresses for years. I decided long ago that I wouldn't become involved in a close relationship with a woman."  
This explained it then, why Baba and Ota had said that he never dates women. Thoughts spun through my head about how impressionable children can be and how the trauma that we suffer as children can affect us as adults. But they were thoughts that I couldn't speak aloud. I couldn't open myself up like that. Instead I just watched him as he laughed darkly at himself.  
"I really fucked up this time. If it was really my priority to protect women, I should have had Mei on her jet back to Hong Kong as soon as we discovered that she was being targeted. I never should have asked you to take her place. Using an innocent woman as a decoy for kidnappers? Taking you into a restaurant without waiting for the other guards to join us? My grandfather would say that what I've done is unforgivable," he said, his expression bleak.  
"Hey, no," I said, trying to stop him from heaping guilt on himself. "There's only one person who needs to forgive you, and that's me. _I forgive you_. I never once blamed you. I know that everyone just does what they can in the moment. It's easy to look back and see the big picture and blame yourself for mistakes, but I know that you were doing your best at the time."  
"You're being too kind," he said, his words making my heart twist. "I appreciate that. But I knew I was making mistakes as I made them, I just let my emotions take over. That's a dangerous thing for someone in my position to do. I have too many people depending on me."  
He stood up and looked down at me, his expression closed. "I was supposed to draw you into a conversation to get you to express some of your feelings and instead I spewed a bunch of nonsense at you. Thanks for listening and thanks for taking such good care of the guys. Don't stay up too late. You've done a lot today and you really do need your rest."  
I watched as he walked out of the room. He had so much pain locked up inside of him, the way he was holding it all inside and holding himself accountable for everything made me feel like crying. And he hadn't even eaten the deviled eggs that I'd passed to him. I reached out and drew the plate back over to me and slid the eggs onto the tray of snacks that I was preparing for the guys. To have him turn away from the food that I'd prepared, it made me feel as if I'd been set adrift.  
I felt as if I were losing him. I remembered what he's said, '_I decided years ago that I wouldn't become involved in a close relationship with a woman_.' Was that for me? A message, a warning not to expect more from him? That should be fine, right? It was exactly what I would have wanted. If I'd been opening up, I would have said, '_Yeah, me too. I don't get involved in relationships_.' So why did I feel so bad, as if something essential had been taken away from me?  
I'd never even imagined having a relationship with Soryu. I'd never really gone beyond wanting to fuck him. Except… Maybe I liked him too much. I liked talking to him, I liked being with him. I liked seeing him smile. A thought struck me and I almost laughed aloud - a sick, painful laugh. I had a crush on him. Just like a stupid middle school girl. I had a crush on my boss like a movie or a manga, but this was reality. In the real world the boss wasn't going to turn around and suddenly fall in love with me. In the real world I was going to do my job and move on and my silly crush would fade with time. Just like all crushes did.


	10. Crush

Olivia took one look at me and said, "Come outside on the terrace."  
I followed her out into the warm fall sun and sank down in a chair with a sigh. I made a halfhearted effort to lighten the mood. "Do I look that bad?" I asked and forced a little laugh.  
"Most people probably can't see it but _I_ can," she said with a frown. "Soryu said that he thinks the kidnapping was too much for you. You really won't talk to Ran Nitta? I like her, she's helped me a lot."  
I shook my head. "It's not the kidnapping," I said, suddenly realizing that I hadn't been thinking much about being kidnapped. My thoughts had been taken up with my ridiculous crush. "It's Soryu. Or well, it's _me_, not him. He's not doing anything wrong…"  
I trailed off. I sort of felt like crying and that really pissed me off. Which described my feelings over the past few days, a pathetic cycle of upset and angry. I really was no better than a lovesick thirteen year old. I'd cut myself off from romantic feelings so long ago, I'd had very little practice dealing with doomed crushes or unrequited feelings.  
Most women must have developed some way to manage their emotions but I was completely lost. I didn't know how to turn off my feelings or work through Soryu's rejection. I was lost in a torrent of just _wanting_ him - wanting to see, hear, taste, feel, smell him. I couldn't find an escape route. Normally I would have drowned my feelings by fucking someone, but the thought of touching someone else or having them touch me was unimaginable, my brain literally refused to go there. My only recourse was anger, but I'd gotten to the point where I felt too emotionally exhausted to maintain my anger for long.  
"What does that mean?" Olivia asked, watching me with concern in her eyes.  
"I have a crush on him. It's no big deal. It'll go away as soon as I move out of the townhouse," I said. "I won't have to pretend to be Mei forever. After the meetings are finished, I can just go back to normal."  
"Have you tried talking to him? Is he just not interested?"  
"He told me that his policy is to never have a close relationship with a woman," I answered. It made me feel completely defeated just to utter the words.  
"He said that to you? So he _is_ gay?" Her eyes were round with surprise.  
"No. I didn't say he was gay," I corrected her. "It's not that he's gay. It's more like he doesn't like women."  
"Doesn't like women?" Olivia's voice was full of shocked offense. "That doesn't make any sense. He can't just hate _all_ women. I mean… I guess I kind of know he avoids women, but I consider him a friend and I thought the two of you were getting closer. Is that not right?"  
"We were getting closer, but-" I sighed and decided to just tell her everything. What use was there in hiding it? "We had sex after I was kidnapped. Since then he's gone back to being totally distant and cold. So, I guess he regrets it or something."  
"You had sex with him and he stopped being nice to you?" she demanded. When I answered with, "basically, yeah", she started getting angry. "I never thought Soryu would be such an asshole. He's supposed to be the good mature one. Why did he even have sex with you if he was going to act like that?"  
"Yeah, that's what I keep wondering," I admitted. "He was really mad at me, so I don't know if it was his way of putting me in my place or just getting his anger out. He also...he knew that I wanted him, so maybe he had sex with me as sort of a pity thing. Like, 'sorry you got kidnapped'. But it was really more angry than anything."  
"He had angry sex with you after you were kidnapped? _What a fucking bastard_. Even Eisuke isn't that bad!" she ranted. "Eisuke was super nice after I got kidnapped. He was practically an angel and Soryu turned into a fucking jerk? It's unbelievable. How are you putting up with this? I feel like tearing his hair out."  
Her words sparked an image of my fingers tangled in Soryu's hair, I let it pass through my mind with a defeated sigh. "I just don't know what to do. I'm not used to dealing with this sort of thing. I can't make him like me. There's no sense in beating my head against a wall. I just need to get the job done and get out. Once I'm back in the casino I'll be able to get back to normal."  
"Oh, I just want to kill him! Why are men so stupid?" Olivia cried.  
I cast around for something else to talk about. I needed to stop thinking about Soryu for a while. My eyes fell on a large wooden lid sitting on top of the terrace floor. "You got your hot tub and it's got a padlock on it," I said with a laugh and she was kind enough to take the change of topic.  
"That's right, and I've got the key. Eisuke is way too casual about letting the guys use the penthouse like some sort of sex den. I mean, I know they have apartments here but still." She made a grossed out face. "I wish I could put a lockable cover on the pool. I came out here the other morning and found some panties that definitely weren't mine. Who knows how many times the maids are cleaning up that sort of thing before I have a chance to notice. I thought about turning the heating for the pool off, but then they'd just do it somewhere else."  
"Oh, that _is_ disgusting. You're kind of living in a frat house," I pointed out.  
Olivia groaned. "You're so right. Soryu and Mamoru aren't a problem. Mamoru doesn't have an apartment here at all. Baba's calmed down a lot since Eisuke made him and Ota go to Sensitivity Training, but Ota is still a diehard player. I had to make them stop bringing girls to the weekly poker night. I came downstairs and this skank was all over Eisuke. I didn't know who to kill first."  
I giggled at the mental image. "How are things going with Eisuke? You guys seem pretty happy."  
My smile faded as I saw her eyes cloud over. She looked away from me as she answered, "I feel like I'm holding my breath. I keep forgetting to keep myself prepared for him to break up with me. I'll forget for days at a time and then it'll suddenly hit me: _this isn't forever_. I know that I'm not part of his plans. He doesn't have long term relationships. I'm holding him back from the things he wants to do."  
"Olivia, he's lucky to have you," I said. "He must know that. Everyone knows that he only dates women for a short time, but he's still with you. That must mean something."  
"Yeah, it means something today but it might not mean anything tomorrow. Right now I make him happy, I'm a novelty, but sooner or later he'll get tired of me. He'll wake up one morning and decide that I'm old news and he'll kick me out without a backward glance," she said, trying to keep her tone matter-of-fact but I could hear the thread of tears running through them.  
"He wouldn't really do that-" I began, but she cut me off.  
"Oh yes he would. Under everything he's just as cold hearted and callous as he appears. Even if he loves me a little bit, it's something that he can turn off like a switch." She finally turned to meet my eyes and her own eyes were full of pain. "I shouldn't have fought to keep him. I should have let things end in the summer. I fall more in love with him every day. The longer it takes for things to end, the more it will hurt when he breaks things off. Sometimes I think I should just go ahead and do it myself, but I just don't have the courage. When I think about it, it feels like cutting off my own arm."  
Ice slid down my spine. This is why I had to fight my crush on Soryu with everything that I had. If I wasn't being paid so much money to do Mei's meetings, I'd be running for the hills. I couldn't allow myself to be so attached to someone, to be so dependent that I couldn't imagine life without them. Even when life with them was painful.

"Sakiko, this is delicious. I look forward to every day because of your food," Kyoichiro said with a satisfied smile. I'd made hamburgers and french fries - with a fried egg on the burgers, of course.  
"Maybe too good of a job," Maki said with an evil grin. "I think Kyoichiro's putting on a little weight."  
Kyoichiro frowned at Maki. "I think we're _all_ looking a little healthier since we're being fed so well."  
"Yeah, I was basically starving on your awful scrambled eggs," Kanada chimed in. "Sakiko, you can never leave us. I'll waste away."  
"It wouldn't hurt any of you to try to learn to cook," Kyoichiro said. "Maybe I'll order you to start taking lessons from Sakiko."  
"Sir, no way," Maki said. "Real men don't cook. We yield weapons not spatulas. You're trying to destroy our image."  
"Is that right? Does that mean my image has been destroyed by trying to feed you ungrateful bastards?" Kyoichiro asked.  
"Damn, Maki," Satozaki hissed. "You're gonna get us put on worse duties that learning to cook. Shut your mouth, dude."  
"He doesn't mean it, Sir," Kanada said. "He's just worried about his image because we're going out to a club tonight. He just spent an hour combing his hair."  
"Yeah!" Maki crowed. "We're going to get all the girls. Vanquish and vanish - that's our motto. They won't know what hit them."  
"'_Vanquish and vanish_'?" I snapped, hiding my smile behind a frown of disapproval. "Is that the way you treat women?"  
"Ah, well," Maki looked to his friends for support but they shoved their mouths full of food and left him hanging. "We just...that's just the deal, see. That's what everybody does when they're out clubbing. You know, just have fun and hook up and don't look back?"  
His words struck something deep inside of me, a nerve that was raw and unprotected. For a moment I lost my mask as pain and uncertainty began to crest into a massive wave, but I pushed it back. I turned it off and turned away from it. I forced my mask back into place and lectured Maki. "You're not just any men," I said. "You're Ice Dragons. That means you treat women with respect. It's not just you in the club, it's the Dragons reputation that you're carrying. Don't fuck up that reputation by behaving just as badly as everyone else. Treat women with consideration and respect and you won't have to worry about chasing them because they'll be chasing you."  
"That's right!" Kanada said excitedly. "That's exactly the sort of strategy that we need to use. And, yeah, we should be thinking about the Dragons' reputation."  
What the fuck had I done? The voices of the guys around me faded out as I fell into my thoughts. I'd started talking as a joke. I was going to admonish the guys and pretend to be a hardass. Instead I'd struck so many fucking chords within myself that I may as well have been a guitar. Soryu had essentially '_vanquished and vanished_' as Maki had called it. He'd fucked me and moved on and as much as he claimed to want to protect women, he'd failed this time. I'd been lecturing the young men planning on hitting the club, but my words could just as well have been meant for him.  
And me. I'd lived my life vanquishing and vanishing for years. I'd never questioned it. I'd never thought twice. I hadn't allowed myself to. I'd kept moving, kept working towards this goal or that goal. I'd kept running away from anything that bothered me, any time, all the time. That was supposed to be me, that was supposed to be who I was. I was comfortable and happy with it but now I'd caught a glimpse of it from a different direction and it suddenly didn't look the same.  
I closed my eyes and tried to push my thoughts away. I didn't have to listen to them. I didn't have to let the pain in. I was supposed to be eating dinner, relaxing, enjoying hanging out with the Dragons. I wasn't supposed to be evaluating my life plan.  
I opened my eyes to see Kyoichiro and the other guys standing up from the table and saying their goodbyes. Leaving me alone with Soryu. I hadn't looked at him during the entire meal. I'd been trying to ignore his presence just as I was trying to ignore how much I wanted him. He'd been silent as we ate but now, when all of the other men had left the room, he finally spoke.  
"Sakiko, I'm sorry. I-"  
I stood up suddenly, looking down at my plate rather than at him. There'd been too much emotion in his voice and there was too much emotion in me. I hadn't been directing my poorly planned comments at Soryu. I hadn't been looking for an apology. "Don't you apologize to me," I said before hurrying out of the room without looking back.

"Eisuke wants to speak to you upstairs," Soryu said, his voice revealing a hint of stress.  
I frowned in response. I'd assumed that we'd come to the penthouse because Soryu wanted me to talk to Olivia again. Things had been more strained than usual between the two of us since my mouth had run away with me during dinner two days ago. Now I looked at him suspiciously, wondering if his plan was to have Eisuke take care of me.  
But that didn't sound right. Soryu was the type to handle his own problems - well, unless the solution involved talking about feelings. If he'd wanted to send me back to the casino or something like that, he'd have done it himself. There was no reason to involve Eisuke.  
When I reached the second floor living room I found Eisuke sitting behind his desk with a smirk on his face.  
"I see you're still wearing those Chinese dresses and pretending to be the princess. You didn't get your fill when you got kidnapped?" he asked.  
I rolled my eyes at him. "A job's a job," I said. "This one's paying well and there's no reason to think there's anyone else targeting Mei. So you shouldn't have to worry about rescuing me again."  
"I'm not worried. My friend tells me that your matchmaking meeting with him went well. He's ready for another taste," he said.  
"That's right," I said with a smile, remembering the sexy bachelor. "I think he's a good match for Mei. I wanted Soryu to figure out the best way to tell him that I'm not really Mei and arrange a dinner or something. He must have forgotten."  
Eisuke let out a laugh. "Pass up a chance to find Mei's match and put an end to those stupid meetings? He's forgetting on purpose. Looks like I won. I'll arrange the dinner. You and Mei can go together and explain the situation. I'm sure the three of you will have a lot of fun."  
"Well, Soryu will have to go too. So that makes four of us," I reminded him.  
"That's right, but Soryu won't be having any fun," he said.  
"Okay, whatever," I replied with an irritated shake of my head, I was already getting tired of his attempts to play mind games. "It'll be exciting to introduce Mei to your friend. It will be awesome if Mei finds her match."  
"A little excitement now and then is good for the heart," he said. I could tell that he was mostly talking so that he could judge my reactions. I frowned at him and he laughed at me. "I've got a bonus check here for you. You went above and beyond the call of duty when you got yourself kidnapped. I deducted the cost of repairing the hood of my car from the total."  
"The hood of your car? That was _yourcar?_' I asked, trying not to blush. "Why am I paying for the repairs? Shouldn't Soryu do that?"  
"Is his ass the one that fucked up my car?" he shot back.  
I opened my mouth to argue, but I knew that's just what he wanted. Everything was a joke to him, a joke and a chance to test people. "Just give me the check," I said and reached my hand out.  
The hand holding my check didn't budge. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What were you and Olivia talking about on the terrace the other day?"  
"I don't think that's any of your business," I said, remembering Olivia had said that basically everything she did got reported to him.  
"You're my employee," he reminded me. He was pushing me, testing my loyalty.  
'_Fuck him_.' I could play games, too. I could wield my knowledge like a knife. "She's thinking about breaking up with you."  
I could tell that I'd shocked him because he didn't move a muscle. "She knows you're just going to break her heart eventually, you're a selfish ass after all. She thinks if she gets there before you, it will hurt her less."  
He was still staring at me with his smirk frozen in place. Was he a deer in the headlights or was he staying quiet to get me to keep talking? Either way, I was going to take advantage of his silence. "I think she's right. It doesn't make sense for her to waste her time on you. There are plenty of men out there who would devote themselves to her. Men who she could really trust with her heart. She needs to walk away from you and find one of them. She should be thinking about marriage and children, not spending her time kept like a pretty bird in a cage. She should be happy."  
"Maybe happiness is overrated," he said, handing over the check.  
"That's the sort of thing someone who can't guarantee her happiness would say," I countered, taking the check and walking away.

Eisuke had been true to his word, he arranged for us to have dinner with the sexy bachelor - who's name was Eichi Sanjou - that very evening. His high-handed fucking with our schedule had obviously infuriated Soryu. He'd been visibly steaming ever since Eisuke had informed him that we were to meet Sanjou at the Purple Horizon at eight o'clock.  
"Ichinomiya explained to me that you were simply posing as Mei Ling Lee in order to keep her safe," Sanjou greeted me with a warm smile. "I must say that I was more than a little disappointed. You really had me bewitched during our last meeting."  
I felt myself flushing under his flirtatious gaze and smiled back up at him. "I'm so sorry that I had to deceive you Mr. Sanjou. I'm sure that you'll find Mei much more interesting than me."  
While Sanjou moved to greet Mei, I turned to look at Soryu. He was glowering down at me. He looked so angry that I had to remind myself that he wasn't the sort to get violent. Although, I had no idea what would happen if he were ever pushed to his limits, but there was no reason to think that having dinner with Sanjou would anger him that much. He _had_ said that Sanjou wasn't some kind of enemy.  
"So, tell me," Sanjou said after we'd placed our orders. "All of those things that Sakiko talked about - wanting an open marriage, threesomes and seducing servants - was she really speaking for you, Mei?"  
"Oh, yes. Certainly that is the sort of marriage that I would wish for," Mei said with a bright smile. "To be accepted for who I am and allowed to do as I like. What more could a woman ask for?"  
"It isn't often that you meet a woman who is so attuned with her sexuality and completely open about it," he replied, pouring on the charm. "It's so refreshing. I love the idea of not having to play games or hide things."  
"Yes, a marriage with no need for lies and trickery. That would be perfect for me," Mei said. "But I do worry that you are in the professional world, not the world of the mafia. Will you understand my world and be comfortable in it? There will be responsibilities and strings attached if you marry me, but no strings with a normal woman."  
"I think there's always strings, no matter what, and I'm not afraid of a challenge. I've done quite a lot of research to familiarize myself with what I can expect if we decide to move forward with our relationship," Sanjou explained. "Having met the real you, I am still just as interested in pursuing you. If I'm lucky, I'll convince you to accept me."  
"Things appear to be so promising," Mei said flirtatiously. "Perhaps you would like to come up to my apartment after we finish with dinner."  
I shouldn't have been surprised by Mei's invitation, but I nearly choked on a bite of shrimp when I heard her invite Sanjou to the penthouse. I'd thought maybe she would use some decorum or take things slowly since they were talking marriage, but I was obviously wrong. She was ready to take this guy upstairs and put him to work slapping her tits.  
"It makes a lot of sense to see if we are compatible sooner rather than later," Sanjou answered. "And there's no way that I could turn down an offer like that from a beautiful woman like you."  
"Wonderful," Mei trilled. "Will you join us, Sakiko?"  
My mouth dropped open. Once again I'd underestimated Mei. Before I could formulate an answer, Soryu broke the silence that he'd been maintaining. "Sakiko has responsibilities to take care of tonight."  
"Oh, of course," Mei said, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to Sanjou. "I suppose it will be just the two of us, then. I'll focus all of my attention on you tonight."  
I continued eating my food while Mei and Sanjou flirted. My mind was bouncing between thoughts and realizations, threatening to pull me under in a sea of self-awareness and change. Once again I was being presented with a discussion about promiscuous behavior and it was striking the wrong note in me. I was interested in Mei meeting someone that she might be able to have a happy life with, but my feelings beyond that were a muddle. I _should_ be excited, aroused by all the sexy talk, and more than ready to follow the two of them upstairs.  
Instead, I'd passively accepted Soryu turning down the invitation that was given to me. I _knew_ that if I questioned it, he would have let me go with Mei and Sanjou. But I didn't wanted to accept the invitation. The thought of joining the two of them in bed felt like more than a step in the wrong direction, it felt like walking into a different world, a world that I was no longer a part of.  
'_Fucking Soryu.'_ He'd totally fucked up my head - my _life_ \- and he ignored me, treated me coldly, made decisions about what I would do as if it were his right. This was exactly what I had always been afraid of. Allowing feelings for a man to change me, control me, make me dependent. Soryu wasn't even fucking interested in me. We were to the point where we were barely speaking and I _still_ felt as if I were tethered to him.  
He was far too dangerous. I couldn't allow myself to be so caught up in him. Not only was it pathetic and futile, it was exactly where I had never _ever_ wanted to be. I was _lucky_ that he wasn't interested in me. It was my one saving grace. Who knows how far I would have sunk if I'd been able to dive right in. He probably could have just done whatever he wanted with me and tossed me to the side whenever he was finished.  
I _refused_ to be that person. I was going to start putting more effort into obliterating my feelings for him. I was going to do whatever I could to hurry Mei's decision about getting married or returning to Hong Kong. There couldn't be an unlimited number of men who met the requirements to marry her, we had to be coming to the end of the list. Maybe I would just refuse to do any more meetings if they wouldn't end soon. One way or another, I needed to get away from Soryu before I lost myself entirely. In the end, it might even be necessary to quit working for Eisuke and Tres Spades. Whatever it took, I had to eradicate this man from my mind.

Olivia called while I was preparing breakfast the next morning. "Sakiko? Do you have meetings today?" she asked, her voice a whisper.  
"No, not today," I answered. "What's going on?"  
"Chisato found Eisuke's sister!" she hissed excitedly. I could hear the sound of a running shower very close to the phone. She must be trying to drown out her words so that Eisuke's spies wouldn't overhear her.  
"What? Really? That's great," I said.  
"So, we're going to go get her today. We're not going to tell the guys or anything, and we want you to come with us," she said.  
"What? Where is she?" I asked.  
"I don't have time to tell you on the phone," she explained. "If you don't have meetings, then come with us. Just convince Soryu to let you come to self defense class today. Wear regular clothes, don't dress like Mei. Dress to go out for lunch. Meet us at the gym at ten thirty."  
"Okay, I'll try to be there," I said. Olivia hung up and I looked down at my phone for a moment. What exactly were she and Chisato planning?

"As far as I can tell, Nikaido planned this thing really well," Chisato said, smiling. She was obviously very proud of herself for finding Hitomi. "He had one of the foot soldiers in his yakuza take in a younger sister that was around the same age as Hitomi. The foot soldier and his family were transferred to Fukuoka and when they moved, the sister was switched out for Hitomi. When the soldier and his family came back to Tokyo over a year later, no one even noticed the difference. Really, no one pays that much attention to other people's kids. They could have just switched the girls without moving the family. Nikaido was being very careful to make sure that Hitomi would be really hard to find if anyone went looking."  
"But you found her," I pointed out. "Olivia said that other people have looked."  
"I just didn't give up until I'd followed every possible lead," she explained. "If anyone else had taken the time, they would have found her."  
"They changed her name to Yukari Todo and she's working at a nail salon," Olivia interjected. She was driving the car that we were in. I have no idea how she managed to ditch the bodyguards that usually followed her around and get access to a vehicle. She and Chisato had put their phones on airplane mode to block phone calls and tracking. I'd done the same when they'd asked, but I'd refused to ditch my panic button. There was no way that I would go that far. "That's where we're going now. We're all going to get our nails done and I'm going to convince her to come to lunch with us."  
"The nail salon is owned by Nikaido's yakuza," Chisato explained. "It's a front for money laundering. So we'll have to be careful, this isn't a normal nail shop. There _will _be yakuza there."  
"Don't worry," Olivia said before I had a chance to question our visit to the salon. "I have a plan. There shouldn't be any trouble."  
"If you say so," I said as we pulled into a parking garage. I wasn't feeling very confident about whatever plan Olivia and Chisato had come up with. We were entering a dangerous place and we didn't even have any bodyguards with us. Three women with a few self defense classes were not going to be able to fight back against a bunch of yakuza if something went wrong.  
The nail salon was only a few doors down from the parking garage. As we walked, I rubbing the sleeve of my shirt. My tracking device was hidden just under the soft fabric. I couldn't help but wonder if I should go ahead and push the button, summoning Soryu to our location, but it felt too risky. What if I pushed the button but nothing went wrong? He might not take it seriously if I pushed the button in the future. And what if Soryu and a bunch of his men stormed into the nail salon? How would the yakuza in the shop react? Would it start some sort of fight?

In the end I followed my two friends into the shop without pushing my panic button. The salon was large and very busy, but Olivia had made reservations for us. She'd arranged it so that Hitomi was the one doing her nails. Chisato and I sat on either side of her. I was distracted for a few minutes as I chose how I wanted my nails done. It was the first time I'd ever had them done be a professional. Long nails were a hindrance to shuffling and dealing cards and flashy colors were a distraction. In the past I'd envied women with brightly colored and patterned nails, but now I shunned those choices. I felt depressed over the situation with Soryu and worried about the danger of being in the salon. I wanted to hide rather than stand out. I chose a soft pearly pink and decided not to have any designs added.  
While the nail artist got to work on my nails, I put on my poker face so that she wouldn't notice that I was listening to every word of Olivia and Hitomi's conversation as if my life depended on it. I was also keeping an eye on the men in the salon. There were three of them, one sitting at a desk in an office behind a large window and two of them wandering around the large space.  
Olivia kept up a friendly conversation with Hitomi until her fingernails were about halfway completed, then she suddenly said, "I know this probably sounds crazy, but I just can't get rid of the thought that I know you from somewhere. Did you go on vacation to a beach when you were little?"  
Hitomi smiled politely in response to Olivia's question. "Well, yes, but didn't almost everyone?"  
Olivia laughed and said, "You're right. But, here, let me see… I've scanned a bunch of pictures from back then into my phone. We stayed in Okinawa and there was a boy and a girl that I became friends with. It know it must sound silly, but I look back at that vacation as one of my best memories."  
Olivia used her free hand to tap her phone until she found what she was looking for. "I guess I only have three pictures and I'm not in any of them," she said with a laugh. "My mother always says that I wouldn't sit still for a picture. Could this be you and your brother?"  
I watched as Hitomi looked down at the phone, she paled as she stared at the screen. "That _is _me," she said, her voice shaky. "That's me and my older brother."  
I quickly looked around at the men in the salon, but none of them were paying attention to us. With a quiet sigh of relief I turned my attention back to Olivia and Hitomi.  
"This is just amazing," Olivia was saying. "Do you mind if I ask if you've had lunch yet?"  
"No… No I haven't had lunch," Hitomi answered hesitantly.  
"My friends and I are going to eat now. Would you mind joining us? I'd love to talk to you more," Olivia said with a smile.  
"Oh, I don't know…" Hitomi said. She wasn't sure about accepting the strange invitation, but her eyes also kept going to the picture on Olivia's phone. "Can I see the other pictures? You said there were three?"  
"Yeah, sure," Olivia said, swiping to a picture of two children sitting on the edge of a pool and then to another picture of the same children standing under a palm tree. "If you give me your information, I can send them to you. And please say that you'll come to lunch. I know I probably seem crazy and you don't even remember me, but I've remembered you and your brother all this time. I was an only child. After that vacation I used to pretend that you were my secret brother and sister who had been taken away from me."  
Hitomi flinched at Olivia's last comment. It must have struck a nerve, but it seemed as if it were the right one. "Yeah," she said. "I'll go to lunch with you. And I want a copy of those pictures. I'll give you my info while we eat."  
Olivia was all smiles, but my heart started pounding in my chest. When our nails were finished we took turns paying at the cash register. I watched as Hitomi stuck her head in the office door to talk to the man behind the desk, probably to tell him she was going to lunch. As we walked out of the salon I kept expecting to hear men shouting, bullets exploding into the air, hands grasping for us, but everything was quiet. We walked out of the salon, to the parking garage and got into the car without a whisper of trouble.

We'd been in the car for about five minutes when I heard Hitomi's voice from the backseat. "Hey, what are you doing? Give that back."  
I turned to see Chisato's usually kind face twisted into a determined frown. "I'm sorry, but I have to take this. I'll give it back in just a little while." She was holding Hitomi's cellphone.  
"We just need to talk to you, Yukari," Olivia said. "We have some things to tell you and we're going to take you to meet someone."  
I felt rage explode inside of me. I glared at Olivia, but her eyes were focused on the road. I took a few deep breaths before I opened my mouth. I didn't want to scare Hitomi with my anger. I turned to look her in the eye, doing my best to appear kind and caring.  
"It really is going to be okay, Yukari. These two are just being insensitive. Olivia has something to tell you that I think you're really going to want to hear. And if it turns out you aren't interested, you can just go back to the salon," I said with a smile. "You _aren't_ being kidnapped."  
I looked at Olivia and said, "Go ahead and tell her now, you're freaking her out."  
Olivia pouted, "But I wanted to see her face."  
"You know how it feels to be kidnapped," I reminded her.  
"Okay," she said with a sigh. "I lied, Yukari. I don't remember you from that vacation. I'm actually your brother's girlfriend. He's been looking for you for a very long time, but he hasn't been able to find you. But Chisato found you. We want to take you to Eisuke as a surprise."  
"You couldn't just tell me that at the salon?" Hitomi snapped. "You had to trick me and scare the shit out of me?"  
"Oh my God, Olivia," I said with a laugh. "She's smirking. She looks exactly like Eisuke."  
Turning back to Hitomi, I said, "I'm sure you know there are yakuza in your shop. We were afraid that if we discussed things openly, they would have stopped you from leaving with us."  
"Why would they do that?" she asked. I could tell from her expression that she wasn't as innocent as she was pretending to be. She was well aware that she was being kept from her brother.  
"We don't know why," I said. "We just know that Nikaido doesn't want Eisuke to find you."

As we approached the hotel, Olivia asked me to take her phone out of airplane mode. As soon as I did it started ringing in my hand. She told me to answer it.  
"_Where the fuck are you_?" Eisuke's voice demanded before I even had a chance to say hello.  
"Uh, hey Eisuke, it's Sakiko" I said, following Olivia's instructions. "We're almost to the hotel. Can you meet us in the penthouse?"  
"Just hang up on him and turn my phone off," Olivia instructed when Eisuke responded with a tirade of questions laced heavily with profanity. I followed her instructions with a pang of regret. I just had to hope that I wasn't going to get in too much trouble for my involvement in today's escapade.  
"He's going to kill you," I warned her. "You ran away, you made it so that he couldn't call you and you must have stopped sharing your location on your phone. And did you take one of his cars without permission?"  
Olivia just laughed. "Chisato rented the car and had it parked at the gym. I know he'll punish me, but I don't mind."  
I watched her shrug and heard the sexual excitement in her voice. "Oh my God, I did not need to know that," I said. "I've been feeling sorry for you, but I've changed my mind. Now I feel sorry for Eisuke. I agree with him, you're too much trouble."

**When we stepped into the penthouse, Eisuke charged over and grabbed Olivia by her upper arms. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?" he barked. "Are you playing some sort of game?"  
Chisato, Hitomi and I stepped past the two of them. Mamoru, Baba, Ota and a few guards were standing in the living room.  
****"****Eisuke," Olivia said, her voice was shaky. "I just went to get you a present. This is Hitomi."  
I watched Eisuke's face. He looked annoyed for a moment until he made the connection. Shock and wonder flashed over his features before he regained his self control and put his typical cold mask back on. "Hitomi? Are you my sister?" he asked.  
****"****Uh, yeah. I think so," Hitomi answered, her voice was filling with tears. "But my name is Yukari now. I… I never thought I'd see you again."  
Eisuke stepped over to give her a stiff hug and then looked between Chisato and I. "Who did this?"  
****"****I did," Chisato said.  
****"****I see," he said, not giving anything away. "The two of you have a seat and wait. We're going upstairs."  
He began leading Hitomi and Olivia towards the stairs that led to the second floor. He turned around for a moment to shoot me a pointed stare. "Soryu's on his way to get you, Sakiko."  
I froze in my tracks as reality crashed down on me. "****_Fuck!" _**

**_******* You can read the short story Kissed by the Baddest Bidder Recreated - Short Story - Olivia and Eisuke - Punishment to see what happens between Olivia and Eisuke._**


	11. Breaking Rules

"_Soryu's on his way to get you, Sakiko_."  
Eisuke's words replayed over and over in my head as I sat on a couch in the penthouse. Next to me, Chisato was telling Mamoru, Baba and Ota about how Olivia had asked her to find Hitomi and the three of us had gone to pick her up. I was having a silent meltdown. Soryu was going to be furious with me. I remembered his anger in the car, his insistence that I keep myself out of danger. I'd seriously fucked up and I was sure to pay a hefty price for it, much more than the cost of repairing the hood of Eisuke's car.  
I clasped my hands in my lap in an attempt to hide the fact that they were trembling. He was going to send me back to the casino. I just knew that he would. He didn't need me anymore. Mei was almost certainly going to choose Sanjou, he was basically perfect after all. I would no longer be needed. I was unnecessary and a fuckup. He'd obviously been distancing himself from me since the night that I'd been kidnapped. He would send me away just as soon as he could.  
I tried to tell myself that it was for the best. I knew it, I'd decided it. I belonged in the casino, away from him. If I could only see him from afar, then my silly crush would die. I would start behaving like an adult, get back to my old self, regain my self-control. It was such a lie that it would have been laughable if I didn't feel so much like crying. He'd barely even been speaking to me and I still felt as if it would break me if I had to leave him. Living in the dorms, working in the casino, only seeing him at a distance, just imagining it felt like an unbearable torture. I knew that I needed to be stronger. I knew that I needed to destroy my feelings, let them fade and move on, but the idea was just too painful to contemplate.  
I looked up and accidentally met Baba's eyes. He frowned and his eyebrows dipped in concern. His mouth began to open and I knew he was going to ask what was wrong with me. My stomach clenched as my body responded defensively and I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to ward him off. I would not talk about my feelings. Especially with someone that I barely knew.  
Just as Baba began to speak, the front door of the penthouse crashed open and Mei stepped into the room, crying out "You guys!" as soon as she spotted us grouped on the couches.  
She hurried over to the seating arrangement and stared at Baba and Ota accusingly. "I thought there was some big emergency and you could not go anywhere with me today!"  
Baba turned his attention from me to Mei. "The emergency is mostly over, we're just waiting around to see what happens next. Eisuke is upstairs dealing with a few things."  
Inui was following behind Mei, overburdened with shopping bags. He stepped over to me and said, "Princess Mei! I almost didn't recognize you without your special dress. Good afternoon."  
Before I could return his greeting, Mei turned her attention to me. "Well, _Princess Mei_, you _aren't _wearing your cheongsam today. What's going on?"  
"Oh, I was just going to have a relaxed day today and go to self defense classes with Olivia and Chisato again, but then the emergency happened," I explained with a shrug.  
"That stupid emergency is ruining everything for me today," Mei pouted and stomped her foot just like a child. "Inui and I had to stay in the hotel. We had lunch and then went to the shops in the plaza."  
"That sounds like fun," Chisato said with her usual kind smile, trying to distract Mei from her whining. "Some of the shops are starting to set up for Christmas."  
"That is true," Mei said, smiling back. "I found a beautiful fur muff and hat for skiing. Daddy will have to rent out a slope for me."  
I glanced over Mei's shoulder and saw Soryu standing in the background, his eyes on me. My stomach turned over nervously. My judgement had arrived and there wasn't going to be any avoiding it. I got up and walked to him and, without a word, the two of us left the penthouse and got on the elevator.

I lurched forward when the elevator unexpectedly stopped on the twenty-third floor. I glanced up at Soryu, but the doors were opening and he was already stepping out into the hallway. I followed behind, trying to stir up anger and defensiveness inside of me, to push away the despair that filled me.  
He stopped at a door and used his thumbprint to unlock it. It was a suite, one of the most expensive ones. Huge and beautifully decorated. It looked like hell to me. Why would he bring me to a suite? He obviously couldn't yell at me in his apartment in the penthouse, Mei was still living in it. The only reason that I could think of for him deciding not to take me back to the townhouse and yell at me there was because I wouldn't be returning to Ice Dragons headquarters. I was going to be reprimanded and sent back to the employee dorms. There was no sense driving me back into the city, one of the guys could bring me my few belongings.  
I heard the click of the door closing behind me and felt his hand on my elbow, stopping me from going further into the room. "Let me..." he said and turned me around to pull me into an embrace.  
I froze, my cheek pressed against his chest and his arms around me. I could hear his heart beating against my ear, my own was skittering inside of me. I didn't know what to think or what to do. "Am I dead? Or unconscious maybe?" I quipped, my voice shaky, trying to make light of what was happening. "We didn't actually stop on the twenty-third floor. That's when you hit me on the back of the head with a wrench."  
He gave a short laugh, warm and rich, and his arms tightened, pulling me closer. "Why would I hit you with a wrench?"  
"You're just going to get rid of the three of us. We're causing too much trouble," I suggested, a statue in his arms, trying to fight off my body's automatic reaction to his nearness, his heat and his scent. I couldn't give in and relax, I needed to figure out what the fuck was going on.  
"Not the worst theory, but in the future keep in mind that it's much easier to kill your victim in the place where you intend to dispose of the body," he said, his voice lazy and seductive, sending awareness in warm ripples over my skin despite the morbid topic.  
"Ah. I see. That makes a lot of sense." I bit my lip, struggling to maintain my composure. I leaned back, testing his embrace. Instead of letting me go, he tightened his grip and pulled me even closer. "Tell… Tell me why you're hugging me. You're supposed to be yelling at me."  
"I like this better. You scared the shit out of me, _again_." His head moved, I could feel his lips brushing over my hair before he pressed a few small kisses against my forehead. "This is a nice way of confirming to myself that you're okay."  
My heart was pounding in my chest. I kept talking to distract myself from the things he was doing. "It wasn't my fault when Mei ran away or today with Olivia. So, _I_ didn't scare you. I don't think I should be blamed."  
"Mmm." His hand reached up to brush my hair away from my forehead, clearing a path for his lips to work a line of kisses over to my temple. "But I wasn't nearly as afraid for anyone else as I was for you."  
'_Mmm?!' _My mind was reeling. None of this was making sense and I couldn't think straight. I was starting to lose the battle with my body, awareness and excitement were shivering over my skin. If I didn't escape soon, I'd be rubbing myself against him and begging for more. "Seriously, Soryu. You have to stop. You're freaking me out."  
"I obviously need to work on my technique," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "Let's go talk."  
His arms released me, but he immediately scooped up my hand and held it as we walked over to the seating area. "I don't suppose I can convince you to sit on my lap?"  
"What's wrong with you?" I asked, frowning up at him, pushing him away with my words.  
He responded with a shrug. "I didn't think so," he said and settled down on the couch. "Let's get this over with. I'm hoping to get lucky afterwards."

'_What the fuck?' _I thought, quickly retreating and taking a seat on a fancy chair. I glared at him suspiciously, but he just smiled back at me. "Please tell me what's going on," I said. "The only explanation I can come up with is that I'm in a coma."  
I watched as he laughed. He was far too casual. I'd never seen him so relaxed and at ease. "I had some time to think on the way over here. I'm in love with you. I've been trying to give you some space and figure out how to go about convincing you to date me, but I'm done with that. Let's cut straight to the chase. Let's live together."  
"Are you drunk?" I felt fear and uncertainty creeping into my veins. He didn't just want to '_get lucky'_ after our conversation? He wanted to live together?  
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not drunk and I'm not crazy. Please stop trying to deflect this."  
He was serious and he wanted an answer. I felt as if my mind were only partially working. I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to adjust to this new topic. "I'm not prepared for this. I have no idea how to deal with it."  
"I know you have feelings for me. I can see it in you. I can feel it," he said. "I want to live together, but do you want to date first? What is it that you want from me? I'll give you anything."  
What did I want from him? I'd never thought of what that might be. I'd wanted to fuck him, my feelings had grown into a crush, but I'd never imagined a future. I hadn't thought about dating or living together or anything like that. I'd only wanted him far too much. So much that my feelings for him had begun to cut me off from my past self. I no longer wanted to find a fuck to deal with my feelings, I only wanted _him_. I couldn't even imagine touching someone else or letting them touch me.  
Is this why people get caught up in relationships? Not because they want to stay, but because there's no way to leave? Was I already trapped because I wanted only him? If I ran away now, would those feelings wear off? It was painful even to think about it. I couldn't even try to imagine the answer, but it must wear off, people moved on from relationships. They did it all the time.  
"Hey." His voice gently called me out of my thoughts. "What are you thinking?"  
"I don't date," I said, my voice strong. I needed to defend myself. If I felt like this now, how would I feel if I gave in to him and we started to date. How much more attached to him would I become?  
"Neither do I, but it's time for a change. I want to break all of my rules for you. I want to keep you," he said.  
I bit off a sob and looked away from his gently searching eyes. _He wanted to keep me._ Everything to remedy my lovesick crush was being offered to me. I'd been trying to quell the feelings, but joy and excitement welled up inside of me at his words, too strong to be held back. _He wanted to keep me_. He wanted to capture and cage me, hold me down and force me to live with the consequences of our relationship. Fear and repulsion mixed with happiness, making me tremble as tears pricked my eyes.  
I shook my head, still not looking at him, full of conflicting emotions. "That's not…"  
I heard him moving, stepping towards me. He knelt down at my feet and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me towards him, pressing his head into my bosom as he hugged me. "Whatever this relationship needs to be, I'll give it to you. You talked to Sanjou about being able to be open and honest, not hiding things. That's what I want with you. And if f you need an open relationship, you can have it. I'm serious when I say that I'll give you everything you want. Just say you'll stay with me."  
"You can't… You don't really want that," I said. My hands were floating in the air, I didn't know what to do with them. Finally, I gave up and lay them on his shoulders, ready to push him away or pull him near, all at the same time. "Don't make promises in the heat of the moment."  
"I want you. I feel in love with who you are. I'm not going to ask you to change for me," he said, pushing away to look into my eyes, his voice matter-of-fact. "Tell me what you're so afraid of so that I can fix it."  
"You can't fix it," I said, frowning down at him. "I don't want to be in a relationship. I don't want to be caught up in something that I can't get out of if it goes bad."  
"What does that mean?" he asked.  
"My father was awful but my mother would never leave him. Not for herself and not for me. She loved him too much to protect either of us," I explained with a sigh. "I don't ever want to be trapped in a relationship like that."  
"I see," he said thoughtfully. "I can't promise how things will go in the future. I can promise that I will do my best, that I will always protect you and take care of you but I can't promise you that things will work out in the end."  
I nodded. It was just as I'd always known. There was no way to guarantee that things would go well. There was no way to know if a relationship would turn out to be a nightmare.  
"But I don't think you need to worry," he continued. "One of the first things that I noticed about you was how brave you are. I've never seen you back down from a challenge. If I gave you a reason to leave me, I don't think you'd hesitate to go."  
"Yeah, but, I've already been telling myself that I need to leave and I haven't gone anywhere," I admitted.  
"Don't tell me that," he said, his expression a mix of pain and humor. "I've been trying to find reasons to keep you in the townhouse, coming up with new bachelors, looking for something else that I can assign you to do. I need you. I'll let you go if that's what you want but the only thing that _I_ want is for you to stay."  
"No matter where I look, I can't find the answer," I said. "I feel like I can't go and I can't stay."  
"Then just stay. Let's see what happens if we both try our best to make this work," his voice coaxed. His hands began moving, rubbing over my back and then down my arms. "I want to be your safety and your comfort. I want to be the one you turn to first. If Olivia comes up with another crazy scheme, I want your first thought to be that you need to call me."  
His dark eyes looked up at me. His face was usually so strong, cold and in control, but now it was open, warm and pleading. Vulnerable. "I watch you trying to protect everyone around you, now I want you to protect me. I'm going to give you my heart, make sure it doesn't get broken."  
"That is totally cheesy and totally cheating," I said, laughing a little, feeling my heart warming as he smiled back at me.  
"I agree. It's disgusting. I've been avoiding it for years but I can't help it. I love you. Come closer and let me show you how much." His hands tugged and I slid off the chair. He moved back to make room for me.

I knelt between his legs and looked down at him. He was even more handsome than usual, relaxed and smiling up at me. My heart was stuttering in my chest. Emotions continued to clamor inside of me - fear, anxiety, joy, attraction, arousal - each insisting that it was the most important one. I chose arousal, of course, just like I always had, but as I reached out to run my fingers through his hair, I could feel that this time was different.  
It wasn't going to be as simple as closing my eyes and fucking him, turning away from the things that I didn't want to feel and forgetting them. He was the source of my fear and anxiety. If I wanted the good, I would have to take the bad along with it. He was a flawed temptation. I would have to accept him as he was, take what he was offering and the risk that came with it. I would have to gamble my happiness on him. I would have to trust him to follow through with his promises.  
"I don't think I can make any promises," I said. Even as I spoke the words my fingers began to stroke through his hair. He may have been a risk, but he was irresistible. He scared me, but he was the only comfort that I wanted. All that I wanted at that moment was to drown in him, to let myself go under the deluge of the emotions that he caused in me and wait to see what remained when I reached the shore.  
"I'm okay with that," he said and I couldn't hold back any longer. I dipped my head down to kiss him, brushing my lips slowly over his and feeling my body respond to the light touch. Warmth rose within me along with a deep need for him. I wanted to press myself against him, my arms ached to hold him to me, I wanted him with a different tone and texture than I had ever experienced before. This was passion, full of emotion, not just a simple desire for the satisfaction that his body could give me. I wanted to absorb him into me, body and soul. I wanted to make him mine, to keep him away from all others, to keep him only for myself.  
I pulled back, licking my tongue over my lips to capture his taste. A simple kiss had done this, caused strong feelings and desires that I had kept locked far away to release inside of me. The feelings were overwhelming and foreign to me, they were forbidden. I was breaking my own rules. Rules made to keep me safe from pain, but at this moment it would be far more painful to let him go. I needed him. I needed to feel him against me and inside of me. I needed his body to write the promise that his mouth had spoken deep inside of me. My need trumped my fear.  
He'd been watching me. He reached up and stroked his thumb over my lips. "I don't have much experience with this," he said. "Teach me how to please you."  
"Yes," I said, pushing his hand away and moving eagerly to kiss him. In silent agreement, we began a game of follow the leader. I pressed my lips to his, tugging and tasting, licking and sucking, pulling back to enjoy the delicious feelings that cascaded through me as he followed suit. His lips explored mine slowly, repeating my motions with a tentative hunger that made a sweet ache flare and grow deep inside of me. I was taking things slow, savoring every tiny movement, his every breath and sigh, his heat and his scent.  
I must not have paid enough attention to this part in the past - the kissing and the touching - or was it just that he was making me feel things that I'd never felt before? As much as I wanted to fuck him, his mouth on mine and his hands stroking over my back were a honeyed pleasure, entangling me in the desire for one more kiss, one more taste, one more touch.  
His lips parted gently from mine, passing the control back to me, requesting another lesson. I retreated, needing a break from the emotions that were swelling in my chest. With delicate care, I trailed kisses over his face, skimming over his cheekbones and the dark wings of his eyebrows, flicking my tongue out to taste him, caressing the lines of his face with my fingertips, exploring all of the places that my eyes always craved.  
I gasped as his hands slipped under my shirt and his fingers brushed over my stomach. I'd been so enthralled with his face that I'd nearly forgotten that anything else existed. I pulled back to look down at him and found him smiling up at me, his eyes glowing. "Why are you smiling like that?" I asked, rubbing my thumb over his lips.  
"It feels amazing to be so close to you. It makes me so happy. I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be," he said, his eyes watching me as his hands slid up and skimmed over my bra. "Let's go to the bedroom. I want to take your clothes off."

As we walked to the bedroom he shucked off his suit jacket and draped it over a chair before yanking off his tie and tossing it onto a nearby table. I pulled my shirt off and dropped it on the floor, shivering as I felt his hand slid down my bare back. "Don't take off anything else," he said. "I want to do it."  
I opened the door to the bedroom and walked over to the bed. It was huge and beautifully decorated, something out of a magazine, piled high with pillows. "You're giving me the royal treatment," I said with a laugh, turning to look up at him.  
"This is just the beginning," he said, his arms encircling my waist to draw me close. "I told you that I will give you anything you want. Anything to make you happy."  
His lips found mine and began replaying the movements that I'd shown him earlier. I relaxed and enjoyed it, pressing against him, letting his warm seep into me. When he stopped, I took control, tugging on his chin to open his lips and slipping my tongue inside, exploring his mouth, tangling my tongue with his, searching for more of him, pushing ever closer.  
When I pulled back to give him the lead, I found him suddenly fierce and demanding. His hands scooped me up and lay me on the bed, his body following after, hovering over me and capturing my mouth aggressively, mimicking my motions with force, tangling his tongue with mine and commanding need and desire to erupt hotly inside of me. There would be no more lazy exploration, our movements were now overwhelmingly passionate as we clung desperately to each other.  
When he broke off the kiss, his hands when to my bra, tugging clumsily, and I reached to help him, unfastening it and watching as he yanked it off and threw it over the side of the bed. His fingers swept over the curve of my breast and his thumb grazed over my nipple. My entire body tensed in response and an unexpected cry fell from my lips.  
'_What the fuck?'_ My mind reeled as he continued to stroke my nipple and he found the other one with his mouth, his tongue rasping over my taught nub. It felt incredibly good. His movements were hesitant and unskilled, but they were flashing through me like fire. My breath came out in rhythmic cries, my chest arched into his touch, and my hands clung to his upper arms. In moments a shallow orgasm rippled over my skin and a cry of release escaped me.  
I tried to gather my thoughts, but his mouth and fingers continued to work at my breasts filling me with an intense pleasure that wouldn't let me think. Another orgasm quickly built and broke over me. _This was impossible_. I had a systematic method of getting myself to a titty orgasm. It wasn't something that could be done with a few disorganized movements, but his touch was so intense that he was throwing me immediately into the fire. I let him bring me to a third orgasm before pushing him away.  
"Do you know what you're doing?" I asked, gasping in air, trying to collect my thoughts.  
"Not exactly, but you're making such amazing noises. I must be doing something right," he said, his hands reaching for me again.  
I brushed his hands away and began undoing the buttons on his shirt, flicking it aside to lick over a hard pec and swirl my tongue over his nipple. Satisfaction purred through me as I heard him gasp and felt his body tense and release with pleasure. I pushed him back on the bed as my mouth trailed lower, my fingers quickly opening buttons and revealing his skin. He was so well-muscled, my tongue lapped over the taut skin of his abs and stomach on my way to the waistband of his slacks.  
Anticipation was practically making me shake as I unfastened his belt and his pants, pushing the fabric and his boxers aside to reveal the bulging head of his cock. My insides turned to liquid heat at the sight of it. It was just as big as it had felt inside of me, hard and hot. I pulled his cock free and curled my fingers around its girth, flicking my tongue out to stroke over its head and taste the precum that pooled at the tip.  
"_Mmm_." I moved to take the head into my mouth and play my tongue over it, wondering how much of his length I'd be able to take in. With practice would I be able to deepthroat his entire shaft? He felt so good filling my mouth, my clit was twitching with excitement. Releasing him from my mouth, I began licking up and down his length, but his hands gripped my shoulders and pushed me away.  
"Stop," he ground out. "I won't last. I want to make love to you. Do this later."  
"Then take your clothes off," I said, tipping my body away from him, kicking off my flats, and squirming out of my pants and panties as quickly as I could.

Soryu stood and shed his clothes and I watched with my heart thumping in my chest. To see him like this, his skin bared to my eyes, his body perfectly muscled, his cock standing at attention and ready for me, my body was throbbing with need and excitement. He returned to me and I drew him down for a fierce kiss as he settled between my legs. The feel of his skin against mine felt like an answered promise and I pressed as much of myself to him as I could as my tongue reveled in his taste.  
He broke off the kiss and raised himself up, looking down at his hand as it found my pussy and his fingers explored through my wet folds. His movements were clumsy, but I was so hot for him that it didn't matter. My hips bucked up into his touch again and again as I moaned with pleasure. He found my entrance, delving inside for a moment before pulling back and guiding his cock to me.  
I gripped his arms as he pushed into me slowly, his thickness stretching me inside and sending ripples of pleasure over my skin. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of him, hard and hot, moving deeper, causing pleasure to erupt throughout my body. My spine tensed and arched towards him, my nipples tingled and begged for his touch, my legs trembled and spread further, opening up to him.  
I was lost for a while, my eyes closed, feeling nothing but the way that he filled me completely and drew sparks of ecstacy in my pussy as his cock stroked slowly in and out of me. I was gasping and moaning, doing nothing to hold in my feelings, but he was silent, concentrating as he thrust deep again and again, the head of his cock firmly bumping my cervix each time, sending lightning bolts of pleasure down my legs and up my spine.  
"You feel amazing," he said, his voice full of emotion, and I opened my eyes, searching for his expression. My eyes met his and my breath froze on my lips, my heart trembling in my chest. He was looking down at me with a gaze full of love, devotion and adoration. Was this what I would have seen on the hood of the car if the darkness hadn't obscured his face? If so, I would never have questioned anything, not even for a moment. _He loved me. _It was so profound that there was room for nothing else. It was so obvious that there was no denying it. Even when he began plunging into me harder and my eyes closed against the intensity of his strokes, his eyes were still there in my mind. I could now feel his love in his every movement. He was worshipping me with his body.  
I moaned as his love filled me and I felt my body's own response to him. _I loved him too_. This was no crush, not something that I could turn away from or leave behind. It was love and it was quaking through me, breaking me apart into a million pieces as my pussy clenched around his hard length and I orgasmed beneath him.  
He lowered himself onto me and rolled us to the side, his sweat-slick chest pressed to mine, his hand gently cupping the back of my head and his lips finding mine, cutting off the moans that were gasping out of my mouth. His other hand stroked gently down my side, trailing over the curve of my hip and grasping my ass, holding me tight as he worked into me several more times before, with one final deep thrust, he released his seed into me.  
He continued kissing me, pausing briefly for swift intakes of air before finding my mouth again and again. His arms slipped around me, cradling me close, holding me gently but firmly against him.  
He wouldn't let me think. His lips and his tongue distracted me and disrupted my thoughts, demanding all of my attention with sucking and nipping and stroking. I tried several times to collect myself, but there was no chance of succeeding. My body was a boneless, twitching ragdoll, my pussy still spasming around his half-softened cock. I was lost to him and he would not give me even a moment to find myself.  
His hips gave a quick jerk against mine and I realized that he was growing hard inside of me, lengthening and pushing at the walls of my sex, filling me again. My body hadn't even calmed down yet, I was still stuck in the hazy afterglow of a powerful orgasm, his movements caused a stinging pleasure that my body was not ready for.  
He rolled me over onto my back and positioned himself above me, his eyes, glowing with love, met mine and then swept down to take in my body. There was only love, _he_ was only love. I let go of the last thread tethering me to reality and let it surround me. I gave it back, letting my own newly discovered feelings pour out of me, guiding my hips as they rocked forward to meet his every movement, filling my hands as they stroked over every bit of him that I could reach.  
As I worked towards another orgasm, I suddenly could not get enough of him. I pulled him towards me, I pressed my body against him, I held him with my hands and surrounded him with my legs. I lapped at his neck and collarbone listening to him moan and feeling the way his body twitched as I licked over his sensitive skin. I sucked gently at the point of his collarbone while my hands grasped him close and my hips bucked up to meet him, desperate for the pleasure of his cock stroking inside my sensitive pussy, straining towards the orgasm that was building itself up in layers, tensing muscle after muscle throughout my body.  
My climax caught me, holding me frozen for a moment as everything within me tensed and there was nothing but a piercing pleasure until I shattered and fell apart in his arms.  
I lay dazed in his embrace, half-aware of his seed spilling inside of me. I felt him settling against me and pulling a blanket over us, cocooning us together in warmth, blocking out the world. He held me close as I descended further into the darkness that was rising up to claim me. The last thing I knew was his lips brushing tenderly over my forehead.

I woke in the dim room in the early evening, completely panicked. My heart was pounding in my chest and my body was trembling with fear. I'd kicked my legs over the side of the bed and was standing up to run away before I even realized what I was doing. A hand caught my wrist and I turned around with a cry of fright to see Soryu lying in the bed gazing up at me.  
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice calm.  
My thoughts swirled as I tried to piece them together and make my lips move. "I don't know," I admitted.  
"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" he asked and I took a moment to look him over. He was gorgeous, warm and snuggly, completely relaxed with mussed hair, his strong chest bared above blankets that covered up treasure.  
"I can't," I said. The fear inside of me was too strong. I couldn't fight it.  
"Then tell me where you're going," he said, his voice gently commanding.  
"I… I'll go downstairs to the coffee shop. The one between the plaza and the museum. It's never busy in the evening," I said. I felt as if my heart were being crushed. I needed to get away from him.  
"Okay, then. I'll be down later. Text or call if you decide to go anywhere else," he said, his hand releasing me.  
"Yeah, okay," I said, intent on gathering up my pants, underwear and shoes so that I could make my escape.  
I left the room without looking back.

*** Author's Note *** It took me a ridiculous amount of time to write this chapter. I tried over and over again, but it wouldn't work until Soryu turned into a puppy. If he was angry or Sakiko was angry, there was just no way that she would accept him. She'd have just ended up running away. But, Soryu acting like this isn't completely out of left field. After he and Olivia became closer in _Olivia and Eisuke_ Soryu started being super nice. I'm not sure how much that came out, though, since every time they started talking to each other Eisuke interrupted their convo. Jealous much?


	12. Tables Turned

I noticed Soryu as soon as he entered the coffee shop. Tall and beautiful, he'd showered and he'd been careful about how he laid his suit down when we'd undressed earlier. He was neat and clean, I was covered in dried sweat and sex and wearing clothes that were rumpled from lying on the floor for hours. He smiled at me as if he didn't even notice.  
"Is it okay for me to join you?"  
When I nodded he sat down, his eyes taking in the coffee gone cold and untouched muffin that sat in front of me. "You've been doing a lot of thinking," he said, looking up at me, his gaze warm and gentle.  
"Yeah. Uh…" I wasn't ready to talk. "What have you been doing?"  
"I talked to Baba and then went to speak with Hitomi," he replied.  
"Hitomi?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Why would you need to talk to Eisuke's sister?"  
His eyes searched mine for a moment before he sighed and said, "Well, Olivia really did fuck up when she made contact with Hitomi."  
"What does that mean?" I asked, staring at him in confusion. "Eisuke didn't really want to see his sister?"  
"That's not it," he explained. "We don't know for sure why Nikaido was keeping Hitomi, but it was certainly to use her as some sort of tool. Now his tool's been compromised. We don't know what will happen if Hitomi goes back. They might kill her, but Nikaido's organization is deep in sex trafficking. It seems likely that he would put her to work in a brothel to force her to '_repay'_ the money that was spent to raise her and keep her for all these years."  
"_Shit_," I said, feeling my skin crawl as I digested what he'd said. "Does Olivia know? Where's Hitomi now?"  
"Hitomi's in a room in the hotel with guards posted at the door," he said. "I'm sure Eisuke's explained the situation to Olivia by now."  
"You're right that we fucked up," I said, horrified. "We _seriously_ fucked up. What's going to happen?"  
"It all depends on what Hitomi wants. She's in no shape to be making decisions about her future right now. Her entire life was just stolen from her. She was raised as part of the family by one of Nikaido's men. She's lost her family, her friends, her job. It's going to take her awhile to get over this," he said. "I know that Olivia thought she was doing something great for Eisuke, but that's far from the truth."  
I glanced up at the ceiling, imagining Olivia up in the penthouse. She was probably heartbroken. "I'm worried about Olivia. She thought Eisuke would punish her for escaping for a few hours. What will he do to her for ruining his sister's life?"  
"It's actually even worse than that," Soryu said. "Apparently when the guards reported that she was missing, Eisuke thought that she'd left him. Baba said that he's never seen Eisuke as irate as he was this afternoon."  
"Oh God," I said, remembering that I'd told Eisuke that Olivia was thinking about leaving him. "What is he going to do to her?"  
I started pulling out my phone to try to call her, but Soryu stopped me. "You don't have to worry that much. He loves her, even if it's in his own fucked up way."  
I nodded, trying to push the fear and sadness that I had for Olivia and Hitomi to the back of my mind. "I'm sorry that I didn't call you," I said. "You're right that I should have done that first. We were behaving like kids. All excited about our plan and not thinking at all about how it would affect anyone else."  
He sighed. "I was in a meeting with my phone turned off all morning. I wouldn't have gotten a phone call anyway. And we've fucked up ourselves. I shouldn't be the only one that can track you with my phone. Olivia and Chisato weren't trackable but you were. As soon as I got out of the meeting, I was told that Olivia and Chisato were missing. The guys didn't know that you were with them."  
I listened quietly as he spoke. The fear that he'd felt was evident in his voice.  
"Eisuke was sure that Chisato was helping Olivia run away from him, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that they'd been kidnapped. If the target was Olivia, there was a good chance that they would dispose of Chisato fairly quickly. That's the news that I was greeted with when I got out of my meeting. Adding the fact that you were with the two of them, just made things more complicated. If the target was Olivia, had they killed you and Chisato? If the target was you - or really Mei - then were Olivia and Chisato gone?"  
My stomach sank as I realized just what I'd put him through. I reached a hand across the table and he took it, lacing his fingers with mine and holding on tightly.  
"You were at least still wearing your tracking device, so I could track where you were. I could see that you were in a moving vehicle, but I didn't know what that meant. Were you really just helping Olivia escape from Eisuke, or had someone disabled you to the point where you couldn't push your panic button?" he sighed and shook his head. "Thankfully, you called Eisuke not long after that and Baba called me to report that you were all okay and heading back to the hotel. I didn't have to worry about you for long."  
"_I am so sorry_," I said, tightening my grip on his hand. I couldn't find the words to tell him how much I regretted making him worry, making everyone worry.  
"I want to get out of here," he said. "I want to hold you again. What do you want to do? We can spend the night in the suite or I can take you home. At the townhouse...well, you know it's your decision whether you spend the night in my room or yours."  
I'd been sitting in the coffee shop struggling with the concept and reality of love. I was overwhelmed and frightened by the extent of how much he loved me. I'd seen it when we were having sex, how much he loved me had been in his eyes and in the way that he touched me. Although a part of me was happy that he felt so strongly for me, another part saw his feelings as a net that would ensnare and suffocate me.  
My own newly discovered love for him felt like a splendid betrayal of my own heart and soul. Something that had been kept hidden from my conscious mind until I'd been wrapped in his arms and it was too late to escape. This was everything that I had never wanted. I'd meant to tell him that I needed space. I'd been ready to go back to my dorm room and spend the night far away from him, getting some distance, easing my panicked mind, running away from the intensity of our feelings.  
There was no way that was going to happen now. He was hurting. _I'd_ hurt him and the urge to take him in my arms and comfort him was too strong to deny. It crowded out the need to escape, pushed it to the edges of my mind. This was it then. How simple it was for love to take control, for my needs to fall away and be replaced by his. The realization that I'd been caught in the same trap as my mother caused pain to flare within me, and my instant response was to look to him. He was my comfort and my strife.  
"Let's go back up to the suite," I said, watching the smile that spread over his face.  
How long would I be able to turn off my thoughts and drown my fear in him?

"I'm hungry," Soryu complained.  
I sighed and stretched. It was the second night since we'd brought Hitomi back to the Tres Spades. Soryu and I had returned to the townhouse after spending the first night and the following morning in the suite. Soryu had had some business to attend to and I'd made dinner for everyone, but we'd mostly spent our time in bed.  
"Are you sure?" I asked, lazily rubbing my palm across his chest. "You ate a lot at dinner."  
"You're draining all of the energy out of me," he replied. "I need to replenish. I want two omelettes. I love it when you make me eggs. It makes me so happy. It's like a normal happiness in all the craziness. You're omelettes are filled with normal happiness."  
I gave a little laugh. "I guess I can't tell you no, then. Of course I'll make you some food. Just give me a few minutes, I don't feel like moving." I traced my fingers down to gently rub his soft cock.  
"Don't try to distract me," he warned. "I won't be able to get it up until I get some food."  
"That sounds like a challenge, but I won't accept it. I told you I'm going to feed you. I'm just admiring you. Your cock is the biggest I've ever seen in person," I said. "I'm kind of becoming obsessed with it. It's probably a crime against nature that you've been keeping it in your pants"  
"Hmm," he murmured. "The one and only woman that I've made love to besides you cried when I tried to put it in her."  
I winced. "Is that why you've stayed away from women?"  
"Not exactly," he said. "It was the first semester of my freshman year in college and she was my first girlfriend. I'd gone to private boys schools my whole life. She cried, but she insisted that I make love to her anyway, even though I thought we should stop. Three days later she told me that she was pregnant."  
"That isn't how it works," I said.  
"I didn't know that at the time," he explained. "She was frantic and insisted that we get married as soon as possible so that her father wouldn't know she'd gotten pregnant out of wedlock. I wanted to do the right thing by her and the baby and was ready to do whatever she asked me to do. Eisuke was the skeptical one. He did the research and made me take her to a doctor to confirm the pregnancy while I was present. Of course, she wasn't pregnant. She'd just been trying to snag a rich husband."  
"I'm so glad Eisuke came to your rescue," I said with a laugh. "I didn't realize that you guys had been friends for so long."  
"We've actually been friends since middle school," he said. "After I broke up with that girlfriend, I started looking at women in a different way. I'd already seen the fighting and conniving between my father's mistresses, now I could see that when women looked at me, what they were really seeing was my bank account. All of them except this crazy woman who seemed to only want my body."  
"How did you know that?" I asked. "I could have told you I was down to fuck in an attempt to trap you."  
"First, I'm sure most women realize that it isn't going to be easy to trick a man who's almost thirty into getting them pregnant," he answered. "Second, a file was made for you and analyzed by Ran Nitta before you were asked to join the organization. I knew you avoided relationships, which is why I was having trouble figuring out how to get you to date me. I don't have any practice at it and you avoid it. I felt pretty hopeless there for awhile."  
I frowned. I didn't know what to address first, dating or the fact that there was a file on me. I should have guessed about the file, considering how thorough Soryu and Eisuke tended to be about everything, so I decided to shrug it off. If there was a file then Soryu had decided to love me knowing full well that I was promiscuous and a little crazy. That put the responsibility on him and meant that I wasn't going to have to reveal a bunch of dark secrets from my past. Instead, I was going to have to share my current thoughts.  
"I think I'll need a break tomorrow night," I said using a businesslike tone. "I can spend a night in the employee dorm to get a little space."  
"That's fine," he answered without hesitating. "I'm meeting with Eisuke after lunch. You can come to the Tres Spades with me."  
"Sounds great," I said, raising up on my arms to look down at him. "Is it really that easy? Are you really okay with me disappearing whenever I want?"  
"Well, I wouldn't call it disappearing as long as you're telling me where you're going," he said. "And this is normal, isn't it? When people date, and even when they're married, they don't have to be glued to each other. While I'd love for you to be with me as much as possible, I respect your need for space. You work out for yourself what makes you happy."  
"That's… That's really nice of you. I want to go make the eggs now," I said, climbing off the bed and pulling on my clothes. I needed some time away from him to think about what he'd said.  
My understanding and views on relationships were obviously much more fucked up than I'd realized. Taking a break by spending a couple of days in the dorm wasn't the same thing as my father disappearing for days, weeks or months without a word. It _was_ normal for couples to spend time away from each other. I'd heard women complain many times about too much overtime resulting in them only being able to see their boyfriends once or twice a month.  
Taking time and space away from him was normal. It was _okay_. He wasn't going to be angry or unable to cope if I wasn't there and _I_ would be able to handle it, too. Our relationship didn't have to consume us. I could take the time to figure out what would work for me, and _we_ could take the time to figure out what would work for _us_.  
I sat down the bowl of eggs that I was holding and gripped the edge of the counter. It hurt to think these things. They were the opposite of what I'd always believed and they didn't fit easily into my mind. The idea of looking at things in a new way was scary. I didn't know if I could trust it, I didn't know if I'd be able to let go of what I'd always held onto, and if I made mistakes I could hurt Soryu, hurt myself, damage our fledgling relationship.  
We were both inexperienced at making relationships work. Were we really going to be able to make a success of this? Would he have to be forever patient and making concessions while I dealt with my craziness? Was that fair to him? Would it make him hate me in the end? Would I start to resent him because I would worry that he was secretly upset about the time and space that I needed? Wouldn't it just be easier to call off everything now, before we came to hate each other?  
'_Fuck,'_ I said to the empty room. It sounded like I really was fucked up enough to need to talk to Ran Nitta. I really had no interest in doing that. Running would be so much simpler.

"I have a job offer for you," Soryu said. We were in a car heading towards the Tres Spades.  
"Really? A new mission already?" I asked, very surprised. I'd been fucking up so much it wouldn't shock me if the guys thought I couldn't be trusted to run to the corner store to get snacks.  
"Not a mission, a job," he said. "Eisuke's been wanting to set up an underground poker game in Dubai for a long time. The current dealer here in Tokyo is excited about emigrating and take on the position. Eisuke and I both think that you would be the best replacement."  
"It's just dealing? Why me? There are a lot of people in the casino with a lot more seniority than I have," I pointed out, feeling suspicious. Was this just a way for Soryu to control me?  
"You're already in Eisuke's organization and even the casino director said that you're the best dealer he's ever seen," he explained. "This job is different from working in the casino, it's _very_ high stakes. It isn't the same as standing behind the blackjack table flipping over cards. It can get very tense. We know that you can handle yourself and you'll be able to read the players and spot signs of cheating. And right now we don't know of anyone else who can do the job. If you don't want it, we'll have to put plans on hold for starting a game in Dubai."  
I thought about his words for a few minutes. "And that's the job? Just dealing a poker game?"  
"It actually involves more than that and the pay is very good - more than a floor manager at the casino. There are usually between four and eight games a month. You'd be responsible for scheduling the games and managing which players will be attending each game. You'll also be part of the process for determining if a new candidate for the games will be accepted. You'll be given a file from the investigative team to review in order to make those decisions. You'll also have an assistant. Hayashino isn't a dealer, she just helps with managing the games," he said.  
"That sounds like quite a promotion," I said. I knew that I should be jumping at the chance, but the offer seemed to good to be true. "Are you sure you aren't just offering this to me because you like me?"  
"I don't like you, I love you," he said, his voice matter-of-fact. "If you had to choose someone else from the casino for the job, who would it be?"  
I thought about my fellow employees. "Ikuni is a really good floor manager."  
"You've been away from the casino for a few weeks. You aren't texting with the people you used to work with? Ikuni was stealing from the casino, he was fired a while ago," he said.  
"Oh, I had no idea."  
"Besides the fact that we don't think there's anyone else capable of doing the job in the casino, the casino expansion is going to be complete in a few months. We'll need to promote people in the casino as we hire new employees to fill in the new positions. Like I said, it's you or it's no one. At this point Eisuke is not ready to look for someone from outside the Tres Spades," he said. "You don't have to make a decision right now, but I think you should take the job. The pay is excellent and the hours are flexible. You'd still be able to make meals at headquarters."  
I laughed. "You're just worrying about not getting your eggs if I go back to working at the casino full time."  
"I would miss your cooking terribly and so would the other guys. And don't think I'm not going to pay you for cooking for us. It's a job and you'll be compensated."  
I nodded, falling into silence as my thoughts took over. I felt like I was standing on the threshold to a new life. Loving Soryu, being involved in a relationship, getting a new job or even two. Mostly, I was thinking about the cards. They'd been a huge part of my life since I was a child. I'd spent untold hours shuffling cards and learning tricks. I always had a deck of cards on me, and if I got nervous, I would often shuffle them to calm myself down.  
Except lately I hadn't been doing that because I'd been pretending to be Mei. I hadn't been working in the casino. I hadn't been shuffling and dealing cards. If I took this new job, I'd only be dealing a handful of games a month. Cards would be taking a backseat in my life. To my surprise, I felt ready for that change. I felt tears pressing behind my eyes, tears of relief. If I did this, I was going to be letting go part of the sadness and fear from my childhood that I'd been carrying along with me. It wouldn't all be gone, there was so much more waiting inside of me, but this much I would be able to get rid of by simply taking a step towards my future.  
I didn't have to worry about controlling the game anymore. I didn't have to worry that gambling would consume me if I wasn't constantly on my guard. I could turn away and give myself space to breath. Space to work on the new challenges that life was throwing at me.  
"I'll do it," I said, the words escaping my lips, slipping out between the jumble of worries and fears that tumbled in my mind, setting me on a new path.

Soryu's cell phone rang as soon as we stepped out of the elevator on the top floor of Tres Spades. We stopped in the vestibule outside the front door of the penthouse and he exchanged a few words with whoever was on the phone.  
"Sorry, Sakiko. I've got to get out of here. Simon Lee is in Tokyo. He didn't even give me any warning. His representative is downstairs waiting for me. I'll be back as soon as I can. Hang out with Olivia or whatever. I want to at least meet for dinner tonight, so I'll call and let you know what's going on," he said and gave me a quick kiss before he stepped back into the elevator.  
I stood for a moment staring at the closed elevator doors. I was decidedly not happy about him suddenly leaving, even though we were supposed to split up anyway when he went to talk to Eisuke and work on the Hitomi issue. It was somehow different when it wasn't part of the plan, especially since I didn't know exactly when I'd be seeing him again. I felt like a spoiled child, ready to throw a tantrum because things weren't going my way.  
'_God, I need to get over myself,'_ I thought as I used my fingerprint to unlock the door to the penthouse. When I stepped inside the great room was empty. Even Mamoru wasn't in his napping chair. I stood quietly looking around, waiting for security to inform someone that I'd arrived.  
In less than a minute a maid appeared from the hallway that lead to the kitchen. "Excuse me, Miss. Is there something that I can help you with?"  
"Is Olivia in?" I asked, my mood going from casual to extremely suspicious in the blink of an eye as the maid's face betrayed that something was wrong.  
"Ah...I think Olivia is not receiving guests right now," the maid said, shifting her eyes and backing up as I walked towards her.  
"_You think?"_ I asked. "What does that mean? Where's Olivia?"  
"She's resting in her room right now," the maid said, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes and hear it in her voice.  
"How long has she been in her room?" I asked. "Don't tell me she's been in there the last couple of days?"  
The maid's eyebrows flicked up, letting me know that my guess was right before she glanced over my shoulder and visibly relaxed. Before I could turn around, Eisuke's voice rang out. "Stop scaring my staff, Sakiko. What with you and Mei running around the penthouse, I think I'm going to have to get security to protect the maids from my guests."  
I turned around to look at him, he was just stepping down the last few stairs from the second floor, dressed in his usual three piece suit and a smirk. "Don't fuck with me right now, Eisuke. What's wrong with Olivia? Why hasn't she come out of her room?" I'd begun trembling with anger.  
"Let's have a little chat," he said, leaning against a wingback chair, looking like he was posing for an ad in a fancy magazine. "It seems that I need to remind you once again that you are my employee. You answer to me and you follow my orders. If Olivia is planning some little scheme, you are to inform me immediately."  
I made sure my mask was in place as fresh guilt washed over me. "I'm very sorry, Eisuke. We obviously had no idea that finding Hitomi would cause such a huge problem. Please don't be too hard on Olivia, she was only trying to help you. Whatever you've done to her-"  
"_I don't think you're listening to me,"_ Eisuke's voice was as cold as ice. "My top priority is Olivia's safety. Therefore, if she's cooking up some hairbrained scheme, I depend on my employees to let me know. If her intentions are harmless, I can let her have her way. If she's heading towards danger, I'll be able to stop her. All of this falls apart, however, if I can't depend on my employees to inform me of her intentions. _Do you understand?"_  
I stared at him as I processed his words. Soryu had said that Eisuke wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Eisuke was saying that her safety was his top priority, so why was she hiding in her room? "Yes, Sir," I said. We were battling each other, each trying to slip behind the other's poker face. "Are you telling me that she's okay?"  
"Of course she isn't okay. This morning I had to tell her that she fucked up when she brought Hitomi to me. She's extremely upset about it. This could have been avoided if you'd done your job properly." His eyes scanned up and down my body with calculated contempt. "It seems that Soryu's method of teaching you your duties by tenderly fucking you isn't working. Just remember that the next time you fuck up you'll be demoted to cook and bed warmer at Ice Dragons headquarters. I won't be giving you any more chances."  
Okay. So if I'd had a knife, I probably would have stabbed the bastard. Instead, I reminded myself that he'd basically told me that Olivia was okay, he prioritized her feelings, and he was giving me one last chance to prove myself. If he was anyone but Eisuke, he probably would have found a nicer way of saying all that, but you can't expect much of the asshole. He was who he was.  
"I'll be sure to report everything Olivia's says to me in the future," I said, realizing that was probably what he'd wanted from the beginning. I also thought it was time to change the subject. "Is Mei around?"  
"I don't keep tabs on Simon Lee's little succubus," he said, giving me a bored look and gesturing his hand in the air before he turned and went back upstairs without another word.  
The same maid showed up a minute later and looked at me warily.  
"Is Mei in today?" I asked sweetly. It wouldn't do to piss off Eisuke's staff, especially since I was one of them.  
"She hasn't come out to eat yet today," she answered. "Maybe she had another late night?"  
"Yeah, probably. Thanks," I said and turned towards the hallway that lead to Soryu's apartment. I'd been avoiding Mei since she'd involved me in her plan to run away, but now I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to know how her night with Sanjou had gone and if she was thinking about marrying him. Soryu had admitted that he was basically just making up new bachelors to keep me near him. If Mei wasn't going to marry Sanjou, she needed to head back to Hong Kong. That would be at least one thing that we wouldn't have to worry about anymore.  
I let myself into the apartment, but there was no answer when I knocked on the bedroom door. I frowned and rolled my eyes, preparing myself for whatever ridiculous mess I was going to find when I opened the door.  
But there wasn't a mess. The bed was made and the room was empty. I crossed to check inside the bathroom, but she wasn't in there either. I turned around to walk out of the room, worry beginning to make my pulse race, when I saw a white card on the vanity. When I picked it up to read it, it simply said: "_I have gone to have some fun. I will return when I have had my fill."_  
I immeidately raced out to the great room and yelled, "_Security!" _  
A door that I'd never paid attention to opened up and a man stepped out. "Can I help you, Miss?" he asked calmly.  
"_Mei ran away. When did she leave? Were you guys not watching?"_ I asked frantically.  
The guard opened the door behind him and said something to whoever was in the room. He turned back to me and asked, "Are you sure that she ran away? She goes out nearly every day."  
"Of course I'm sure. She left a note!" I waved the note around. "You guys have cameras in here. When did she leave? How long has she been gone?"  
The guard put his head back into the room and said something about footage. I ran over to the stairway that led to the second floor and yelled, "Eisuke! Eisuke come down here!"  
I turned around to see that the guard was staring at me with wide eyes. I'd called down the big boss and he was scared shitless.  
Speaking of the big boss, I'd already failed my '_call Soryu first'_ promise. I pulled out my phone and tapped his name. As the phone began to ring, I saw Eisuke walking down the stairs with a frown on his face. By the time he'd reached the first floor, Soryu's phone had gone to voicemail. I remembered that he'd talked about turning his phone off for meetings, and slipped my phone back into my pocket.  
"Mei ran away and your guards did not even catch it," I said accusingly, watching as Eisuke's face went from disinterested to coldly furious.  
"She's been going in and out with her guard and Mr. Baba or Mr. Kisaki regularly," the guard said, trying to cover his ass. "We'd relaxed security because of that."  
"Is that what you were instructed to do?" Eisuke asked, a snake waiting to strike.  
"No, Sir," the guard said. He was probably thinking about how much money he had in his bank account and wondering if it would last him while he looked for his next job.  
Another guard popped out of the room and said, "She left yesterday morning with her guard."  
"_Yesterday?!" _I had to restrain myself from throwing something or hitting one of them. As I opened my mouth to start cussing them out, Eisuke's phone rang.  
The call was brief and to the point. I watched as Eisuke's face darkened. By the time he hung up, his eyes were flashing with fury. "Mei told her father that she ran away last night and he flew directly to Tokyo. The Bell Crickets are now in possession of Soryu and plan to kill him if we don't find and return Mei within seventy-two hours."  
"_Sakiko!" _I was running towards the front door to the penthouse when Eisuke's voice stopped me. I turned to look at him, panting with panic. "Where are you going?"  
"I've got to go find Mei and save Soryu!" I yelled back at him.  
"By yourself? And do you even know where you're going?" he asked.  
"I'll figure it out and call Kyoichiro to send me some help," I said.  
Eisuke narrowed his eyes at me and said, "Keep me informed."  
"Yes, Sir," I said and spun around to dash out of the penthouse.


	13. To The Rescue

By the time the elevator reached the ground floor of the Tres Spades, I knew where I was going. Mei was with Inui and Inui's grandmother had owned an inn. I was sure that's where he would have taken her. I ran out to the taxi stand and jumped in a cab, giving the driver the directions to the neighborhood that the inn was in before calling Kyoichiro and telling him to have some men meet me there. I tried calling Mei, but the bitch had blocked my number or turned off her phone entirely.  
It took nearly half an hour to get to the inn. Half an hour in which I pictured Soryu surrounded by guards and waiting, just as I had done in the barn when I'd been kidnapped. I couldn't believe it. Even someone as powerful and strong as Soryu had been taken down. There was no telling what they'd done to him in order to kidnap him and now his life was hanging in the balance. If we couldn't find one selfish spoiled bitch, he was going to be killed. And that bitch could be anywhere in Japan.  
My feelings were a twisted panic. I felt as if I couldn't really breathe, couldn't really think. All that I could do was worry. What was he thinking and what was he feeling? Would Simon Lee really kill him? Wouldn't that start a war between the Bell Crickets and the Ice Dragons? But if Simon Lee made a threat he would have to follow through with it, isn't that the way these things worked?  
When the taxi finally dropped me off in front of the inn, Kyoichiro and two other men were standing on the sidewalk.  
"We waited for you because you're probably the best person to talk to Mei," Kyoichiro explained when I stood in front of him.  
"Will they really kill Soryu?" I asked. "Mei could be anywhere. It might be impossible for us to find her."  
Kyoichiro stared down into my eyes and I knew what his answer was even before he opened his mouth. "Yeah, Lee isn't one to make idle threats. This is his daughter we're talking about. He won't let this pass."  
I took a deep breath and looked at the old fashioned wooden doors of the inn. They had to be in there. This is where Inui would have wanted to go. Mei had already seen tourist attractions and she was used to staying in expensive hotels. I thought it was a fair bet that she'd want to know what it was like to stay in an inn for the '_common people'_.

There was a middle-aged woman standing behind the desk inside the inn. I went over to her and showed her one of the pictures that Mei had sent to me during an outing. In it she and Inui were standing smiling next to a monk at a buddhist temple. They looked innocent and carefree. I was beating myself up for not suspecting the worst from Mei. I should have known that she would pull something like this again, even when Baba and Ota were spending so much of their time escorting her around.  
The woman eyed me suspiciously and said that she hadn't seen them. She probably thought that I was trying to catch my cheating husband. "You don't understand, the guy who owns this inn-" I began, but Kyoichiro interrupted me and pulled a stack of bills out of his wallet.  
"Would it be okay for us to look around?" he asked and the woman took the money and quickly agreed to let us search the inn.  
I started to follow Kyoichiro and the other men but something stuck my feet to the floor. I turned back to look at the woman. "Are they really not here?" I asked, taking the time to read her expression this time.  
"They're really not here," she said. This time her eyes held sympathy.  
I nodded to myself and started towards the front door. There was one more place that I should look. I really didn't need to have anyone with me. I was the one who would have to talk to Mei anyway, and it was best for Kyoichiro to search the inn just in case the woman was lying.  
I went outside and got into another taxi, instructing the driver to take me to Harajuku.

Twenty minutes later I stood on the sidewalk in front of the Hello Kitty themed hotel that Mei had pointed out that first day when we'd taken her to Harajuku. This time she had to be here. This was the only other place that I could think of for her to be. If she wasn't here, I would have no idea which way to turn. I'd end up back at the Tres Spades sitting around doing nothing while Eisuke's team did the searching. It would probably kill me.  
A teenage girl with pink highlights in her hair and a Hello Kitty t-shirt was sitting behind the cutesy desk inside the hotel. I showed her the picture of Mei and Inui and said, "I'm looking for these people. Are they here?"  
"Oh, well… I'm not supposed to give out information about guests," she said, refusing to meet my eyes.  
They were there. Relief poured over me so thickly that I had trouble holding back tears. I pulled out my wallet and took out every bit of cash that I had. It was nowhere near as impressive as the stack of money that Kyoichiro had handed the woman in the other hotel. It was a good thing that I only had to impress a teenager. The girl's eyes lit up when she saw the money.  
"I need to know what room they're in," I said with a smile. "It's a matter of life or death."  
"Ummm...okay," the girl said guiltily, her eyes searching the room to ensure no one was there to witness her breaking the rules. "They're on the top floor in room 401. The Kitty Princess Room."  
'_The Kitty Princess Room.'_ The words made me want to throw up as I rode a Hello Kitty patterned elevator up to the fourth floor. Now that I knew that Mei was there my fear was giving way to an all-consuming anger. I did my best to push it down and keep it contained. I'd have to be nice to Mei to get her out of the hotel. If I pissed her off, there was no telling what she would do.  
When I stepped off the elevator I took a couple of minutes to send a text to Eisuke and Kyoichiro to let them know that I'd probably found Mei and where we were. If Mei put up a fight and refused to leave, I'd have the men drag her ass out kicking and screaming.

The first time I knocked on the pink door of the Kitty Princess Room I was met with silence. The second time there was a loud thump and the distant sound of voices. The third time I accompanied my knock with, "I know you're in there. Open the door!"  
The voices got louder and I could hear the sounds of movement. After a couple of minutes Inui opened the door. His hair was mussed and he had a fluffy pink robe that must have been provided by the hotel cinched tightly around his waist. He stared at me in shock when he saw me standing in the hallway. "_Princess Mei! What are you doing here?" _  
I pushed past him and stepped inside the room. It was a mess, clothes thrown on the floor and food containers littering the surfaces. It smelled like a mix of sweat, sex and old food. It was disgusting. Mei was walking across the room wearing a robe that matched the one Inui wore but she hadn't bothered to tie the belt. The look on her face was bored and annoyed.  
"My name is Sakiko, Inui," I said. "_That's_ Princess Mei."  
While Inui made shocked noises, I turned my attention to Mei. She was sitting in a fancy chair poking at a few pieces of cold pizza that sat in an open box. She'd let her robe fall open, probably intentionally. Her breasts were covered with hickeys and bite marks. The thought of poor innocent Inui ravaging her tits made me sick.  
"Get dressed," I said, fighting to keep anger out of my voice. "Your father's in Tokyo. You need to get to Bell Crickets headquarters as soon as possible."  
"I said in my note that I would be back when _I_ decided I had had enough fun. I am not finished. I will come back another day," she said in a haughty voice.  
'_Don't explode. Don't kill her. Don't explode. Don't kill her.' _I took several deep breaths and then said, "Your father has Soryu. He's going to kill him if we don't bring you back. _Put on your clothes. We are leaving immediately."_  
I saw the shock in Mei's eyes. She knew that her father was serious. She stood up with an angry huff and walked over to a pile of shopping bags that had been thrown against a wall. Behind me, Inui had started sputtering. "_The Boss? He's going to kill the Boss?"_  
I turned around and took in the look of sheer panic on Inui's face. "Get dressed, Inui. You need to come with us."  
I walked over and stood in front of the door - blocking it so no one could try to run out of the room and facing it to give them their privacy while they put on their clothes. Mei was saying, "Do not worry, Inui. I will take all of the responsibility for this. You did not even know who I was. Daddy will not punish you for this."  
I was picturing erupting volcanoes and exploding nuclear bombs as I added endangering Inui's life to Mei's list of crimes. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so thoughtless and selfish. I considered dragging her out of the hotel by the hair just for the fun of it, but it would only cause a disturbance and make it impossible for us to get a taxi. I'd received texts back from Eisuke and Kyoichiro and it seemed unlikely that anyone would reach us before we were ready to leave. I would not be waiting around for an escort. I was going to get Mei back to her father as soon as humanly possible.

I sat in the front seat of the taxi silently cursing Mei, repeating '_That selfish fucking bitch.'_ over and over again while I stared out the window, willing the traffic to clear and the car to go faster. In the back Mei snuggled up to a terrified Inui and spoke to him as if there weren't a ton of worries hanging over us. _She_ would be fine, of course. What would her father do to punish her, stop letting her fuck the help?  
The Bell Crickets headquarters was in a six story office building. Mei flirted with the guards as they escorted us up to an office on the fourth floor where Simon Lee was waiting for us. Mei started pouting and giving her father the silent treatment as soon as we entered the room. Inui tried to hide behind me. I stepped forward to introduce myself.  
"Hello, Mr. Lee. My name is Sakiko Koizumi. I work for Eisuke Ichinomiya and Soryu Oh. I found Mei Ling. Please release Mr. Oh now," I said, keeping my poker face firmly in place. I didn't want to let him see how scared I still was. I had no idea how these things were supposed to go. If he was certain to follow through with his threat to kill Soryu, that meant he would follow through with his promise to release him, right? I had to hope that it was true.  
"Thank you for finding and returning my daughter," Mr. Lee said. His voice was casual and he wasn't bothering to try to hide his feelings behind a mask. There was no need. His every movement spoke of self-control and power. "Please explain to me why she was allowed to run away in the first place."  
"I'm afraid that I don't know the answer to that, Sir," I said. "It seems to be a mistake on the part of the guards, but I don't know exactly what happened."  
"I tricked them," Mei said behind me. She sounded like a snarky teenager. "It was far too easy. Ichinomiya needs to find some competent guards."  
"I don't think that's the case. Those men were your guards, there to protect you. You should have been working with them to keep yourself safe. You obviously needed jailers instead. Everyone did their very best to make you happy and you still ran away-" I stopped as I realized what I was saying in front of Mr. Lee. I turned back around to face him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lee. We did know that Mei wanted her freedom. We tried to give her that as much as we could. I guess it just wasn't enough."  
Simon Lee ignored me and said something to Mei in Chinese, his voice angry. Mei stepped up to stand in front of the desk that her father sat behind. She looked ridiculous standing there wearing a Harajuku-inspired outfit in baby pinks that was far too young for her. When the conversation between the two of them had gone on for a couple of minutes, I gave Inui a look and we took a seat on a couch on the side of the room.  
Mei and Mr. Lee went back and forth for over half an hour. Mr. Lee's voice remained even and angry. Mei's voice jumped from pleading to angry to crying to indignant to whining and back again. When the conversation was finally over, Mei had landed on angry. Whatever the result was, she was not happy with it.  
Mr. Lee glanced at me and held out a cellphone. It was Soryu's. "The man outside will take you to Soryu. Mei will remain here. You can have her things sent over. Her little vacation from reality is over."  
I thanked him and accepted the cellphone. Inui followed me out of the room as I stepped into the hallway to find the man who would lead me to Soryu. I didn't even bother to say goodbye to Mei. Fuck politeness. I just wanted Soryu back.

When we stepped out of the elevator onto the second floor, I could see a door with two guards posted on either side. I couldn't stop myself from taking off at a run. I had to get to him as soon as I possibly could. The guards didn't stop me from opening the door and I flung myself inside, nearly at a frenzy.  
"_What the fuck?!"_ I exclaimed as soon as I set eyes on Soryu. He was lounging on a couch watching soccer on an enormous television. I was frozen as emotions plummeted through me. Fears that I'd been suppressing exploded out, relief at seeing him alive and in one piece washed over me, shock at finding him sitting at his ease made my head spin. I held up my hands, reaching towards him. He was already on his way, crossing the room with quick strides, pulling me into his arms.  
"Sakiko," he said, hugging me tightly to him. "Have they already found Mei?"  
"Yeah, I found her. We don't have to worry about her anymore. It looks like her father is going to send her back to Hong Kong," I said, pushing away from his chest so that I could look at him.  
"You found her?" he asked, his voice amazed. "Where are the guys?"  
"Inui's out in the hallway. I texted Eisuke and Kyoichiro and let them know that I found Mei as I was bringing her here," I explained.  
"So, _you and Inui_ found Mei?" He was having trouble believing me.  
"No, _I_ found _Mei and Inui_. They ran off together." I reached up a hand and stroked it over his cheek. I understood why'd he'd wanted to fuck me following two of my disappearances. A desire to touch him and have him inside of me was strengthening with each passing breath.  
"You did it by yourself? Why was no one helping you?" He frowned down at me.  
I gave a huff of exasperation. I wanted to talk about him, not about what I'd been doing. I needed to explain myself quickly so that we could move on. "It was faster to go by myself and it wasn't dangerous. I needed to get you out of here as soon as possible. I've been so worried about you. I thought they might have beaten you up whenever they took you, but you look fine."  
I eyed him suspiciously, there wasn't a scratch on him. "And you're hanging out in here watching tv…"  
"It wouldn't have done me any good to try to fight off the guys that Lee sent to take me. I'd only have gotten myself hurt. And I have been watching tv, but I haven't been paying much attention to it. I've been wondering what steps the guys would be taking to find Mei, and I've been worrying about you. I know how terrible it feels to have someone that you love snatched away and in danger."  
He pulled me closer and kissed me, his lips slow and gentle, moving tenderly over mine to share his feelings. "Thank you for rescuing me. It shows me how much you care about me."  
_How much I cared. _His words reverberated through me. I knew that I loved him, but I'd never told him. I'd been struggling with the feeling, not sure whether I could accept it or if I needed to fight it off. Not sure what it would mean to me and how it would affect my life. I'd never told him that I loved him and he could have died without ever hearing me say the words. The thought made tears fill my eyes. This man was kind enough to love and accept me for who I was and brave enough to invite my fucked up ass to share his life with him. I was a coward for not accepting him. He was honest and strong and I would be able to depend on him without a single doubt. Only a fool would turn away from him.  
"Let's get out of here," I said. "I want to leave this place."

Kyoichiro was waiting to drive us back. Inui sat in the front seat and Soryu and I sat in the back. He held me to him, stroking my back as I cried silent tears. He could have been killed. I could have lost him and he could have lost his life, all of the precious days of his future. I could have been stupid enough to run away from him. I could have told him no and disappeared of my own accord, leaving behind the best thing that would probably ever happen to me in my entire life. I still wasn't sure that I'd be able to stay. I was ready to try, I was ready to give it everything that I had in me, but it might not be enough. My fear and my stupidity might win out in the end. I couldn't even trust myself to do the right thing.  
We all moved slowly when we climbed out of the car in the underground garage beneath Ice Dragons headquarters. We were heavy with thoughts and emotions. It looked as if Inui had been doing a bit of crying himself. I thought about the times that the other men had talking about how often he'd screwed up and how many chances Soryu had given him. It made sense that he was worried that he'd just blown his last chance.  
"_Boss,"_ Inui said when we were all standing in the parking garage. "_I'm so sorry. I-"  
_ "Not now," Soryu said, his voice weary. "Just go upstairs."  
When Kyoichiro and Inui started across the garage towards the stairs, I tugged on Soryu's sleeve to stop him. "Will you let me deal with Inui?" I asked. "I have an idea."  
"Yeah, of course," he said, taking my hand and starting off towards the stairs. "You're my partner now...if you want to be."  
Jets of fear automatically began erupting inside of me. My hand captured in his, his words trying to tie me to him, they made my feet itch to run away. But his words also made me feel proud and strong. I pushed away the fear to let the good feelings fill me. He wouldn't want me to be his partner unless he respected and trusted me. It felt good, very good, to know that he thought about me that way.  
We ran into Satozaki in the hallway on the first floor.  
"Boss! You're back safe and sound. I knew the Crickets wouldn't be able to get the best of you," he said with a proud smile. "And Mrs. Boss! I heard that you're the hero of the day. You rescued the Boss singlehandedly. You're awesome! Are you gonna make dinner?"  
"No, she's not going to make dinner," Soryu said irritably. "You guys order something or go to a restaurant. Get out of here and leave us alone."  
"Yeah, Boss, I get it," Satozaki replied with a smirk before he turned on his heel and ran off down the hallway.  
Soryu gave a sigh of disgust and then said, "Hey, in all the confusion I nearly forgot. You wanted to spend the night in your dorm room tonight. Do you want me to take you to the Tres Spades?"  
"No," I answered, pulling on his hand and heading towards the stairs. "Like you said, I need to fuck you to confirm to myself that you're okay."  
He laughed. "I think I said that I needed to touch you to confirm to myself that you're okay, but fucking is even better. I won't argue with that. I need to make love to you all night to show you how happy am I that you rescued me, and how grateful, and how proud."  
"Hmm, sounds like I might not be up to making breakfast either," I said with a smile.  
"I'm going to order us some dinner, but I'll still probably need a couple of midnight omelettes if I'm going to make it through the night," he said.  
"I'll make you omelettes any time you want."

When we reached his bedroom I had him sit on the edge of the bed. Standing in front of him, I examined his face carefully, taking in every curve and line. Letting the knowledge fill me, so poignant it was nearly painful, that he was mine, that I could keep him, that I _would_ keep him. I was going to open up my heart and let him in. I'd be vulnerable to him doing his worst, but I knew that he'd do his best. He'd told me so, and I was going to hold him to it.  
I traced his jawline with fingertips that were trembling and looked into his eyes. No mask, no games, no holding back. I was ready to take the first step in giving him everything. I was afraid, my bravery felt tenuous, but there was no holding back. I was drawn to him, I was falling into him, and I would no longer be able to deny it or put it off.  
"I love you. I really love you. I can't promise that things will be perfect. I already know that I'll have to run away sometimes, but I'll always come back. I'll never be able to stay away from you."  
"That's the only thing I want," he said and pulled me towards him.  
I climbed onto his lap, straddling his waist, my torso was pressed to his and I was overwhelmed with the feel of him. I could barely suck in air as my body tightened and rejoiced at his nearness. He was alive. He was safe from harm. He was mine.  
I buried my face in his neck, my ragged breathing edging on sobs. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, feeling the muscles of his back under my hands. He was strong. Strong enough to handle me, even though I was broken. His hands rubbed up and down my back, soothing me, pulling me close. He tilted his head and whispered in my ear, telling me that everything was going to okay and that he loved me, over and over again.  
When I'd calmed down and raised me head to look at him, he was smiling. "I'm so happy that you love me," he said. "You love me and you can say it. I might have to send Mei a bonus."  
I cringed and shook my head. "That selfish spoiled bitch doesn't get anything."  
"That's right. You get the bonus. You're my hero." He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as he raised up and turned around, lying me down on the bed and hovering over me. "I'm going to show you just how grateful I am and just how much I love you."  
"No," I said, pushing on his shoulders until he rolled over onto his back and climbing on top of him. "First I get to show you how much _I_ love _you_."  
"I can't say no to you," he said, relaxing beneath me. "Do your worst."  
I laughed and started unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm starting to hate your suits. You look so fucking sexy in them, it drives me crazy, but they're such a pain to take off."  
"I don't think I can get away from the suits. They're standard business attire and I'd look bad dressing casually when Eisuke is almost always in a three piece. Maybe I can talk to my tailor about break away buttons." I loved hearing happiness and humor in his voice.  
"Yes. Your pants need to be like the ones that basketball players wear. The ones that just tear right off," I said with a laugh. "You might not be safe, then. I could attack you at any moment."  
"I hope that's a promise. I'll call my tailor first thing tomorrow." He raised up and helped me peel off his suit jacket and shirt. I stroked my fingers lightly over his hard pecs and abs, feelings his heat and strength, before I pushed him back down onto the bed.  
Pulling my shirt off over my head, I tossed it to the side and began attacking his chest with kisses and licks. His hand stroked over my back, tracing over my bra, looking for the clasp. "It's in front," I breathed, popping up to unhook it and throw it over the side of the bed. His hands reached up, cupping my breasts, squeezing gently and thumbing over my nipples. I moaned, arching into his touch, feeling my arousal increase and pool hotter in my pussy with every brush of his fingers.  
Pushing his hands away, I went back to his chest. I felt his nipple pebble as I swirled my tongue over it and then sucked it between my lips. He let out quiet gasps and moans as I played with his tender flesh. The sounds called to me, and I trailed kisses up his neck to lose myself in his mouth, reveling in the taste of him as our tongues tangled together. I kissed him again and again, short and sweet, deep and searching, gentle and fierce, exploring every way that I could enjoy his mouth.  
When I finally broke off our kisses, my breath was ragged, my skin was sweating and my body was clamoring for him. "Pants," I said, and we rolled off of the bed to finish stripping, moving quickly, tumbling back together as soon as possible, enjoying the feel of skin against skin.  
I straddled his thighs and held his gaze as I trailed my fingers over his taut stomach and down to his cock. I watched every flicker of anticipation and pleasure move through his eyes as I curled my fingers around his thick shaft and slowly stroked up and down his length. A smile played over his lips as he pushed himself against my hand. "Let me inside of you," he said. "Don't make me wait."  
It wasn't the time to tease him. I moved up over him and guided the head of his cock to my pussy, moaning as I slid down on his shaft and chills of pleasure shuddered up my spine. He was so long, riding on top of him kept him pressed hard against my womb, kept me on the edge of insanity. I rocked my hips slowly, savoring the feel of him filling me, playing with the edge of oblivion, feeling as if I was going to explode at any moment.  
"Pinch my nipples," I said and his big hands grabbed my breasts, his fingers twisting my sensitive skin just a little too hard, just the way I like it.  
"_Fuck,"_ I said, biting my lower lip and squeezing my eyes shut, trying to contain the ecstasy that was threatening to tear me open. My body moved on him with a will of its own, seeking more and more of the near painful bliss.  
"What are you doing?" His thumb brushed over my lips.  
"Uh…" I dragged myself up from the ocean of sensations that I was drowning in, to a spot where I could tie thoughts together and speak. "I want to get really loud but I can't. The guys will hear."  
In response, his hands grabbed my hips and he began thrusting himself up into me hard. I'd been controlling myself, playing with the boundary of an orgasm, only letting myself go so far. He stripped away my control, plunging me back into a sea of pleasure, forcing me over the line into immediate release. My cries echoed off the walls. I was no longer able to think or care about being overheard, even if I was, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself.  
He flipped me over onto my back, pushed my knees up, gripped them tightly and began pounding into me hard and fast. Keening shrieks burst from my mouth, I could find no refuge, no way to escape the electricity that jolted through me with his every thrust. The culmination of every stroke was deep and forceful, a mixture of pleasure and pain that pushed me from one orgasm to the next. I gripped the blankets beneath me, moving my hips to meet his movements, completely lost to him.  
When he pulled out and moved to the side, I knew exactly what he wanted. His fingers tangled into my hair and pulled me up, guiding me to his cock. I took him into my mouth and shoved forward, taking in as much of him as I possibly could before I backed up until my tongue played at his tip. In response, he grabbed my head and pulled, pushing himself past my lips and burying himself in my throat. I fucking loved it when he was forceful. I gave myself over to his command as he fucked my mouth. Savoring the taste and feel of him until he spilled himself over my tongue and I swallowed down his bitter seed.  
We collapsed down onto the bed and he immediately began playing with my breasts. "No," I said, when his fingers began to trail down my stomach. He always did this, always wanted to put things out of order. He came in my mouth to keep my pussy clean so that he could go down on me after we fucked. "I told you. I'm just too sensitive right now. You have to give me a break."  
He groaned in disappointment and changed tactics, moving to drop kisses on my mouth. "I love you," he said. "Tell me that you love me again."  
I laughed, letting the feelings flow through me without trying to fight them, happiness and warmth and anxiety and fear. I was going to have to accept it all if I was going to be with him and I'd learned that there wasn't going to be any leaving.  
"I love you, Soryu. I love you so much."


	14. Beginning

As expected, the morning after I found Mei and rescued Soryu I didn't make breakfast for the guys living at headquarters. Soryu and I didn't make it out of the bedroom until after ten o'clock. But I made lunch and it was fucking awkward.  
The younger guys had started calling me "Mrs. Boss" as soon as Soryu and I had started fucking each other. Telling them to stop had only made things worse, so I'd quickly decided to just back off and hope that they grew tired of the joke. After a night filled with multiple shrieking sessions, the guys were snickering and sending sidelong glances at each other the entire time that we ate. Soryu was staring at them angrily, his expression daring them to make an inappropriate joke. In the end Soryu won and everyone got up from the table without a single off color remark being made.  
I stopped Inui in the hallway. "Come and talk to me," I said and led him to the porch at the back of the house.  
He looked as if he were going to fall apart. He'd been depending on Soryu and the Ice Dragons since Soryu had taken him off the streets. He really didn't seem capable of managing his life on his own. Not only that, the Dragons had become his family. He was probably scared to death that he'd fucked up badly enough to lose his home, his job, and his family all in one go.  
I didn't bother beating around the bush. It was time to ease his mind. "Soryu said that I can deal with you," I said. "You really fucked up when you ran away with Mei."  
"Yeah, I had no idea that she was the princess-" he began.  
"I know that, but you _did_ know that she was someone that you were guarding. Someone that Soryu and Eisuke had decided needed protection," I said.  
"You're right. I just...I just let her play me," he admitted, rubbing his hand over his eyes.  
"Mei's really good at manipulating people," I said, "but there are a lot of manipulative people out there. You have to learn to always put the Ice Dragons first. And yourself first, really. The most important thing to you is the Dragons, not Mei."  
"You're right. I never thought about it that way," he said, hanging his head.  
"Let me tell you a secret," I said. "Soryu bought your grandmother's inn a long time ago."  
"_What?"_ he raised his head in shock and looked at me, hope flaring in his eyes.  
"He wants you to have it, but he can't give it to you until you're ready for it," I explained. "The thing is, you've been put in a really bad situation. You aren't cut out to be a regular member of the Ice Dragons, that's why you keep fucking up. So you can't succeed. If you can't succeed, you can't prove that you're ready to take over the inn."  
I watched the light fade from his eyes as he realized his predicament. "But, I have a solution," I said. "Someone really needs to learn to cook around here. I'm supposed to be working at the Tres Spades, not cooking for the Dragons. And someone needs to manage this house. I think that if we start working together, I can teach you to cook and we can come up with a better way to run headquarters. If you can succeed at this task, and I have no doubt that you can, you'll definitely prove that you can take over the inn."  
"Yeah," he said, his eyes lighting up again. "Yeah, I can do that. That's perfect. I'll just think about this house like it's an inn. I know all kinds of stuff from growing up in my grandma's inn. I can totally do this. And I'll do my best to learn to cook, I promise. I won't care at all if the guys make fun of me for doing something girly. I'm gonna get Grandma's inn back!"  
"Okay, so for now, you're my assistant and we'll cook and take care of the house. You can stay away from the other business," I directed.  
"Thanks Prin- I mean Mrs. Boss! Thanks so much!" He was practically glowing.  
"And one more thing. I'll make sure you get a bonus if you can get everyone to stop calling me Mrs. Boss," I said with a laugh.

"What would you have done with Inui if it had been left to you?" I asked. I'd gone directly to Soryu's office after talking to Inui. On the way my skin had begun to itch and my pulse to jump. I'd just dug myself even deeper into this group of people. My instinct was to head for the front door, but I went to Soryu first.  
"I don't know. I would have talked it over with Kyoichiro first and gotten his take on things. But I've given him too many chances. I probably would have ended up sending him to Yokohama or something," he answered. He was sitting behind his desk, his gaze was open, curious, worried about Inui, worried about me, full of love.  
"What would have been the logic behind that?" I asked, fidgeting with the zipper on my coat.  
"It would have gotten him out of Tokyo, away from the guys who are getting sick of his mistakes. It would put him in a place where things are quieter. He might be okay there," he said.  
I explained my plan for Inui, watching him as he listened. "That's a much better plan. I should have thought of that myself," he said. "I'm glad that you're here to help."  
My eyes slid past him and I looked out the window as I answered. "This isn't what I'm used to. I don't like being attached to people and now there's not just you, there's the guys here and Olivia and it's like it's getting worse every day."  
"What do you want to do?" he asked. I could hear in his voice that his worry was turning into fear.  
"I want to run away and not look back. I want to stay and be the one to help Inui figure his shit out. I want to be around to watch over Olivia because I don't trust Eisuke. I want to hold onto you like my life depends on it and I want to scare you off so that I won't have to worry about you leaving me later," I answered, still not able to look at him.  
"I don't think your going to be able to scare me off. I might need to take a break sometimes just like you do, but I'll be back every time," he said. "I promise you that."  
"I want to be open and honest with you. I want to keep things as above board as possible. That's why I came to talk to you instead of running right out the door. I want to try to have a more normal life. I'm not sure I can do it, but I want to try." I forced myself to meet his eyes. He was relieved.  
"I want to do everything that I can to help you. I've already called a real estate agent. I'm going to buy us an apartment. You shouldn't have to deal with the guys being around all the time," he said.  
I was shaking my head even before he finished talked. "What are you talking about? I never said that I was going to live with you."  
"I don't understand. We already live in the same house. You just have to move your stuff over into my room," he said.  
"Living together is a lot more than moving my stuff," I said. "It's a big step and I am not ready for it. This is way too soon."  
I watched him as my words sank in. He'd made some assumptions and now he was having to rewrite his thinking. "Okay, but I'm still going to get an apartment. I want you to be able to be as loud as you want when I'm making love to you. I want some privacy. I want you to make me some omelets wearing only an apron," he said with a grin.  
"I think an apartment's a good idea and," I took a deep breath as my mind turned over the idea. "I think maybe I'll get one for myself. That'll give me a better place to go to when I need a break. I don't have a lot of privacy in the dorm."  
"That's a good idea. I like the thought of you having a good place to go to, somewhere closer than the Tres Spades. But-" He looked away, his voice pained. "I really do want to give you an open relationship, I want to give you everything that you need, but how is this going to work? If you take someone back to your apartment, if you sleep with someone else, are you going to tell me? I've got to admit that I don't like the idea of knowing about it, but I don't want to not know, either."  
I watched emotions playing over his face. I needed to remember that this was hard for him, too. He might act strong and confident, it might seem like he always had the right answer, but in the end we were going to have to figure out how to build this crazy relationship together.  
"Right now that isn't something that you need to worry about. Right now the only person that I want is you. I honestly don't know how long that will last. When the times comes that I want to fuck someone else, I'll try to tell you first. We can talk about it then and decide how things should work. And we can make improvements to our plan as we go along, until we find the best thing for us," I said.  
He nodded. "That makes me feel a lot better."  
I walked around the desk and gave him a kiss, warm and soft. "I'm going to go now. I'll text you and let you know where I end up. And I'm going to buy a ball gag while I'm out. No more loud sex at headquarters."  
"I don't like the sound of that at all. I'm going to call the agent back and tell her I want an apartment immediately," he said.  
"Let me remind you that even if we both get apartments, we'll still be spending a lot of time here. You're gonna want that gag." I laughed as I walked out of his office.

I felt different when I went out the front door of Ice Dragons headquarters and walked down the steps to the sidewalk. I wasn't in a blind panic to leave this time, though the need to go was certainly very strong. Talking to Soryu had eased my mind, at least for a little while. Building relationships, accepting attachments, letting people into my life, it was something that I could try. I could take things one day at time and just see how things went. I could open the door and leave any time that I wanted to, for a little while or for a long time or forever. I always had the choice.  
It also felt different to have headquarters behind me. Not a dorm room that was one step up from a hotel room, but something more like a real home. A place where there were people that cared about me and people that I cared about. The place where the person that I loved waited for me. While I couldn't deny the reasons that made me anxious, it also made me feel stronger. I had a place to rely on that was more than a room filled with things. I had a place that held a tenuous hope for the future.

_Two Months Later  
Mei and Sanjou's Engagement Party  
Tres Spades Hotel, Second Floor Ballroom_

"Your girlfriend just warned me off my fiance say," Sanjou said, walking up to Soryu with a laugh.  
Soryu smiled, "What did she say?"  
"She told me that Mei is a spoiled bitch," Sanjou said, still laughing. "I let her know that I'm already well aware of that fact."  
"She must like you if she's trying to protect you," Soryu replied, his voice revealing a hint of pride.  
Before Sanjou could answer, Eisuke joined them, stepping between the two of them to make himself the center of attention.  
"Ah, Ichinomiya, it looks like I've won this time," Sanjou said, tipping his glass towards where the women were grouped. "Admit defeat."  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Eisuke said, bored and condescending.  
"I'm marrying a princess, you've got a chambermaid. If that isn't a win, I don't know what is," Sanjou said with a laugh.  
"You've got a fuck hunter who's nothing but trouble. Olivia's an angel compared to Mei," Eisuke said with a bored shrug. "I win."  
"Mei wouldn't care if I grabbed anyone in this room right now and fucked them in front of her. She'd probably ask to join in. She also has no interest in politics or business. She's never going to get in my way and I'm getting her father's power and connections. She's perfect," Sanjou explained. "You can look at Olivia and see that she isn't the angel that you're claiming she is. She's trouble. That's why you keep her locked in the hotel."  
Before Eisuke could answer, Soryu spoke, his voice lazily confident. "I think I've got this one, actually. Sakiko's a badass who rescued me from the threat of death."  
"You're both wrong," Eisuke declared. "If this was an office, Mei would be the inept temp who's always fucking up. Sakiko would be the diligent and dependable worker and Olivia would be the manager because she comes up with excellent plans and has other people carry them out."  
"You're forgetting that Sakiko's been managing my headquarters and knocking my boys into shape," Soryu said with a laugh. "If Olivia's a manager, then Sakiko is the department head."  
While Eisuke frowned, Sanjou laughed and added, "And Mei isn't the temp. She's the CEO's daughter who drops by the office sometimes and everyone admires how beautiful and fashionable she is. Then she fucks an employee or two in an empty meeting room."  
"You're far too happy that the woman who is going to be your wife is a nymphomaniac," Eisuke complained.  
While the other two men continued bickering Soryu feel silent, his eyes drawn to where Sakiko stood across the room listening to something that Chisato was saying. He knew that at some point she would start cheating on him, although he probably shouldn't call it cheating since he'd said that he'd be fine with it. He'd promised her an open relationship, promised to love her for who she was and he did, he just knew that it would be hard for him when the time came to actually do it. He'd told himself again and again that the only thing that mattered was that she came back to him.  
He understood now what she'd meant when she'd talked about being afraid of being trapped in a relationship no matter the consequences. There was no leaving her, no letting her go, no matter what she did, no matter who she would sleep with. He would be waiting to welcome her back with open arms, to fuck her until he'd erased everything but him from inside of her.  
He'd watched her grow stronger and calmer almost by the day. Relaxing into their relationship, learning to trust in it and in him. She still took her time away, still spent nights in her own apartment, but the quality of her departures was different every time. The panic, the fear and the blind fleeing were disappearing. When she left she was cool and confident, acknowledging the need within her and managing it rather than allowing it to rule her.  
It was beautiful to see, watching her become stronger, maturing past her childhood fears and traumas, but it made him uneasy, too. The confidence that she was finding was binding her tighter to him and to their relationship, but it was also helping her to spread her wings. She was obsessed with him now, he kept her as busy in bed as he possibly could, but at some point she was going to turn around and see someone that she wanted to fuck and she wasn't going to hesitate to act on her feelings.  
He'd told her that it would be okay. He'd promised her freedom and he would not go back on his word. Their relationship would only work if one of them took damage. If he tried to force her to be monogamous, over time she'd crumble and fall apart. He knew it, he could see it in the way she moved, feel it in the way she breathed. She needed to be free, and so he would take the hit. He would absorb the pain and keep them together. He would keep her safe by giving her a home and a touchpoint, and keep himself safe by providing her with what she needed to stay in the relationship. She was as necessary to him as air and he would do whatever he had to do to keep her happy and by his side.

_*** Author's Note *** There will be short stories for Sakiko and Soryu as I continue writing the other books. We definitely need to see how their relationship is progressing!_


End file.
